diff --git a/Include/internal/pycore_symtable.h b/Include/internal/pycore_symtable.h
index c8e0578a231756..1d782ca2c96e05 100644
--- a/Include/internal/pycore_symtable.h
+++ b/Include/internal/pycore_symtable.h
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ extern struct symtable* _PySymtable_Build(
     struct _mod *mod,
     PyObject *filename,
     PyFutureFeatures *future);
-PyAPI_FUNC(PySTEntryObject *) PySymtable_Lookup(struct symtable *, void *);
+extern PySTEntryObject* _PySymtable_Lookup(struct symtable *, void *);
 
 extern void _PySymtable_Free(struct symtable *);
 
diff --git a/Python/compile.c b/Python/compile.c
index 600118768e6392..5915a4bc2f81b0 100644
--- a/Python/compile.c
+++ b/Python/compile.c
@@ -1280,7 +1280,7 @@ compiler_enter_scope(struct compiler *c, identifier name,
     u->u_metadata.u_argcount = 0;
     u->u_metadata.u_posonlyargcount = 0;
     u->u_metadata.u_kwonlyargcount = 0;
-    u->u_ste = PySymtable_Lookup(c->c_st, key);
+    u->u_ste = _PySymtable_Lookup(c->c_st, key);
     if (!u->u_ste) {
         compiler_unit_free(u);
         return ERROR;
@@ -5685,7 +5685,7 @@ compiler_comprehension(struct compiler *c, expr_ty e, int type,
     comprehension_ty outermost;
     int scope_type = c->u->u_scope_type;
     int is_top_level_await = IS_TOP_LEVEL_AWAIT(c);
-    PySTEntryObject *entry = PySymtable_Lookup(c->c_st, (void *)e);
+    PySTEntryObject *entry = _PySymtable_Lookup(c->c_st, (void *)e);
     if (entry == NULL) {
         goto error;
     }
diff --git a/Python/symtable.c b/Python/symtable.c
index e2c00d17480dd1..2407367a58a9b0 100644
--- a/Python/symtable.c
+++ b/Python/symtable.c
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ _PySymtable_Free(struct symtable *st)
 }
 
 PySTEntryObject *
-PySymtable_Lookup(struct symtable *st, void *key)
+_PySymtable_Lookup(struct symtable *st, void *key)
 {
     PyObject *k, *v;