diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py b/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py
index 8a01805ec831bf3cd73d6d210d4f02cfc40b97bb..4ea83e24bbc9ad8013a7507e7893fffeb3a9fc2d 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/functions.py
@@ -1440,11 +1440,15 @@ def split(str, pattern):
 @ignore_unicode_prefix
 @since(1.5)
 def regexp_extract(str, pattern, idx):
-    """Extract a specific(idx) group identified by a java regex, from the specified string column.
+    """Extract a specific group matched by a Java regex, from the specified string column.
+    If the regex did not match, or the specified group did not match, an empty string is returned.
 
     >>> df = spark.createDataFrame([('100-200',)], ['str'])
     >>> df.select(regexp_extract('str', '(\d+)-(\d+)', 1).alias('d')).collect()
     [Row(d=u'100')]
+    >>> df = spark.createDataFrame([('foo',)], ['str'])
+    >>> df.select(regexp_extract('str', '(\d+)', 1).alias('d')).collect()
+    [Row(d=u'')]
     >>> df = spark.createDataFrame([('aaaac',)], ['str'])
     >>> df.select(regexp_extract('str', '(a+)(b)?(c)', 2).alias('d')).collect()
     [Row(d=u'')]
diff --git a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/functions.scala b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/functions.scala
index 81f6ed75e643ca69e75b31b5a9bcd9823f1d3c78..18e736ab69861274348dd63c5de1447cfbe2154e 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/functions.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/functions.scala
@@ -2175,7 +2175,8 @@ object functions {
   def ltrim(e: Column): Column = withExpr {StringTrimLeft(e.expr) }
 
   /**
-   * Extract a specific(idx) group identified by a java regex, from the specified string column.
+   * Extract a specific group matched by a Java regex, from the specified string column.
+   * If the regex did not match, or the specified group did not match, an empty string is returned.
    *
    * @group string_funcs
    * @since 1.5.0
diff --git a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/StringFunctionsSuite.scala b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/StringFunctionsSuite.scala
index 64b4718538e29683687bbf1e593afa31acf7b738..1cc77464b93fcb711c4257c8534601abc19187cc 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/StringFunctionsSuite.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/StringFunctionsSuite.scala
@@ -96,6 +96,10 @@ class StringFunctionsSuite extends QueryTest with SharedSQLContext {
 
   test("non-matching optional group") {
     val df = Seq(Tuple1("aaaac")).toDF("s")
+    checkAnswer(
+      df.select(regexp_extract($"s", "(foo)", 1)),
+      Row("")
+    )
     checkAnswer(
       df.select(regexp_extract($"s", "(a+)(b)?(c)", 2)),
       Row("")