diff --git a/python/datafusion/expr.py b/python/datafusion/expr.py
index 7cd74ecd5..74d70d6ee 100644
--- a/python/datafusion/expr.py
+++ b/python/datafusion/expr.py
@@ -277,6 +277,25 @@ def _iter(
     return list(_iter(exprs))
 
 
+def _to_raw_literal_expr(value: Expr | Any) -> expr_internal.Expr:
+    """Convert an expression or Python literal to its raw variant.
+
+    Args:
+        value: Candidate expression or Python literal value.
+
+    Returns:
+        The internal :class:`~datafusion._internal.expr.Expr` representation.
+
+    Examples:
+          >>> expr = Expr(_to_raw_literal_expr(1))
+          >>> isinstance(expr, Expr)
+          True
+    """
+    if isinstance(value, Expr):
+        return value.expr
+    return Expr.literal(value).expr
+
+
 def _to_raw_expr(value: Expr | str) -> expr_internal.Expr:
     """Convert a Python expression or column name to its raw variant.
 
diff --git a/python/datafusion/functions.py b/python/datafusion/functions.py
index 841cd9c0b..7794de11d 100644
--- a/python/datafusion/functions.py
+++ b/python/datafusion/functions.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
     Expr,
     SortExpr,
     SortKey,
+    _to_raw_literal_expr,
     expr_list_to_raw_expr_list,
     sort_list_to_raw_sort_list,
     sort_or_default,
@@ -1440,7 +1441,9 @@ def radians(arg: Expr) -> Expr:
     return Expr(f.radians(arg.expr))
 
 
-def regexp_like(string: Expr, regex: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None) -> Expr:
+def regexp_like(
+    string: Expr, regex: Expr | str, flags: Expr | str | None = None
+) -> Expr:
     r"""Find if any regular expression (regex) matches exist.
 
     Tests a string using a regular expression returning true if at least one match,
@@ -1451,8 +1454,7 @@ def regexp_like(string: Expr, regex: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None) -> Expr:
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["hello123"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_like(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("\\d+")
-        ...     ).alias("m")
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "\\d+").alias("m")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("m")[0].as_py()
         True
@@ -1461,19 +1463,20 @@ def regexp_like(string: Expr, regex: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None) -> Expr:
 
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_like(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("HELLO"),
-        ...         flags=dfn.lit("i"),
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "HELLO",
+        ...         flags="i",
         ...     ).alias("m")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("m")[0].as_py()
         True
     """
-    if flags is not None:
-        flags = flags.expr
-    return Expr(f.regexp_like(string.expr, regex.expr, flags))
+    flags = _to_raw_literal_expr(flags) if flags is not None else None
+    return Expr(f.regexp_like(string.expr, _to_raw_literal_expr(regex), flags))
 
 
-def regexp_match(string: Expr, regex: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None) -> Expr:
+def regexp_match(
+    string: Expr, regex: Expr | str, flags: Expr | str | None = None
+) -> Expr:
     r"""Perform regular expression (regex) matching.
 
     Returns an array with each element containing the leftmost-first match of the
@@ -1484,8 +1487,7 @@ def regexp_match(string: Expr, regex: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None) -> Expr:
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["hello 42 world"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_match(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("(\\d+)")
-        ...     ).alias("m")
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "(\\d+)").alias("m")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("m")[0].as_py()
         ['42']
@@ -1494,20 +1496,22 @@ def regexp_match(string: Expr, regex: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None) -> Expr:
 
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_match(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("(HELLO)"),
-        ...         flags=dfn.lit("i"),
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "(HELLO)",
+        ...         flags="i",
         ...     ).alias("m")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("m")[0].as_py()
         ['hello']
     """
-    if flags is not None:
-        flags = flags.expr
-    return Expr(f.regexp_match(string.expr, regex.expr, flags))
+    flags = _to_raw_literal_expr(flags) if flags is not None else None
+    return Expr(f.regexp_match(string.expr, _to_raw_literal_expr(regex), flags))
 
 
 def regexp_replace(
-    string: Expr, pattern: Expr, replacement: Expr, flags: Expr | None = None
+    string: Expr,
+    pattern: Expr | str,
+    replacement: Expr | str,
+    flags: Expr | str | None = None,
 ) -> Expr:
     r"""Replaces substring(s) matching a PCRE-like regular expression.
 
@@ -1522,8 +1526,8 @@ def regexp_replace(
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["hello 42"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_replace(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("\\d+"),
-        ...         dfn.lit("XX")
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "\\d+",
+        ...         "XX"
         ...     ).alias("r")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("r")[0].as_py()
@@ -1534,20 +1538,24 @@ def regexp_replace(
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["a1 b2 c3"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_replace(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("\\d+"),
-        ...         dfn.lit("X"), flags=dfn.lit("g"),
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "\\d+",
+        ...         "X", flags="g",
         ...     ).alias("r")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("r")[0].as_py()
         'aX bX cX'
     """
-    if flags is not None:
-        flags = flags.expr
-    return Expr(f.regexp_replace(string.expr, pattern.expr, replacement.expr, flags))
+    flags = _to_raw_literal_expr(flags) if flags is not None else None
+    pattern = _to_raw_literal_expr(pattern)
+    replacement = _to_raw_literal_expr(replacement)
+    return Expr(f.regexp_replace(string.expr, pattern, replacement, flags))
 
 
 def regexp_count(
-    string: Expr, pattern: Expr, start: Expr | None = None, flags: Expr | None = None
+    string: Expr,
+    pattern: Expr | str,
+    start: Expr | int | None = None,
+    flags: Expr | str | None = None,
 ) -> Expr:
     """Returns the number of matches in a string.
 
@@ -1559,8 +1567,7 @@ def regexp_count(
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["abcabc"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_count(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("abc")
-        ...     ).alias("c"))
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "abc").alias("c"))
         >>> result.collect_column("c")[0].as_py()
         2
 
@@ -1569,25 +1576,33 @@ def regexp_count(
 
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_count(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("ABC"),
-        ...         start=dfn.lit(4), flags=dfn.lit("i"),
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "ABC",
+        ...         start=4, flags="i",
         ...     ).alias("c"))
         >>> result.collect_column("c")[0].as_py()
         1
     """
-    if flags is not None:
-        flags = flags.expr
-    start = start.expr if start is not None else start
-    return Expr(f.regexp_count(string.expr, pattern.expr, start, flags))
+    pattern = _to_raw_literal_expr(pattern)
+    flags = _to_raw_literal_expr(flags) if flags is not None else None
+    start = _to_raw_literal_expr(start) if start is not None else None
+
+    # If Python callers pass only flags, supply the default start=1.
+    # because Datafusion accepts:
+    #   regexp_count(string, pattern, start)
+    #   regexp_count(string, pattern, start, flags)
+    if start is None and flags is not None:
+        start = _to_raw_literal_expr(1)
+
+    return Expr(f.regexp_count(string.expr, pattern, start, flags))
 
 
 def regexp_instr(
     values: Expr,
-    regex: Expr,
-    start: Expr | None = None,
-    n: Expr | None = None,
-    flags: Expr | None = None,
-    sub_expr: Expr | None = None,
+    regex: Expr | str,
+    start: Expr | int | None = None,
+    n: Expr | int | None = None,
+    flags: Expr | str | None = None,
+    sub_expr: Expr | int | None = None,
 ) -> Expr:
     r"""Returns the position of a regular expression match in a string.
 
@@ -1604,8 +1619,7 @@ def regexp_instr(
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["hello 42 world"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_instr(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("\\d+")
-        ...     ).alias("pos")
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "\\d+").alias("pos")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("pos")[0].as_py()
         7
@@ -1616,9 +1630,9 @@ def regexp_instr(
         >>> df = ctx.from_pydict({"a": ["abc ABC abc"]})
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_instr(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("abc"),
-        ...         start=dfn.lit(2), n=dfn.lit(1),
-        ...         flags=dfn.lit("i"),
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "abc",
+        ...         start=2, n=1,
+        ...         flags="i",
         ...     ).alias("pos")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("pos")[0].as_py()
@@ -1628,22 +1642,23 @@ def regexp_instr(
 
         >>> result = df.select(
         ...     dfn.functions.regexp_instr(
-        ...         dfn.col("a"), dfn.lit("(abc)"),
-        ...         sub_expr=dfn.lit(1),
+        ...         dfn.col("a"), "(abc)",
+        ...         sub_expr=1,
         ...     ).alias("pos")
         ... )
         >>> result.collect_column("pos")[0].as_py()
         1
     """
-    start = start.expr if start is not None else None
-    n = n.expr if n is not None else None
-    flags = flags.expr if flags is not None else None
-    sub_expr = sub_expr.expr if sub_expr is not None else None
+    regex = _to_raw_literal_expr(regex)
+    start = _to_raw_literal_expr(start) if start is not None else None
+    n = _to_raw_literal_expr(n) if n is not None else None
+    flags = _to_raw_literal_expr(flags) if flags is not None else None
+    sub_expr = _to_raw_literal_expr(sub_expr) if sub_expr is not None else None
 
     return Expr(
         f.regexp_instr(
             values.expr,
-            regex.expr,
+            regex,
             start,
             n,
             flags,
diff --git a/python/tests/test_functions.py b/python/tests/test_functions.py
index 11e94af1c..30c92768d 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_functions.py
+++ b/python/tests/test_functions.py
@@ -932,6 +932,30 @@ def test_map_functions(func, expected):
             f.regexp_count(column("a"), literal("(ell|orl)")),
             pa.array([1, 1, 0], type=pa.int64()),
         ),
+        (
+            f.regexp_like(column("a"), "(ell|orl)"),
+            pa.array([True, True, False]),
+        ),
+        (
+            f.regexp_match(column("a"), "(ell|orl)"),
+            pa.array([["ell"], ["orl"], None], type=pa.list_(pa.string_view())),
+        ),
+        (
+            f.regexp_replace(column("a"), "(ell|orl)", "-"),
+            pa.array(["H-o", "W-d", "!"], type=pa.string_view()),
+        ),
+        (
+            f.regexp_count(column("a"), "(ell|orl)", start=1),
+            pa.array([1, 1, 0], type=pa.int64()),
+        ),
+        (
+            f.regexp_count(column("a"), "(ELL|ORL)", flags="i"),
+            pa.array([1, 1, 0], type=pa.int64()),
+        ),
+        (
+            f.regexp_instr(column("a"), "([lr])", n=2),
+            pa.array([4, 4, 0], type=pa.int64()),
+        ),
         (
             f.regexp_instr(column("a"), literal("(ell|orl)")),
             pa.array([2, 2, 0], type=pa.int64()),