K in Bubble Letters
By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content
Rendered in the Bagel Fat One typeface, an open-source font. It is a reference shape, not a hand-drawn letter.
K is the first letter in this set where diagonals take over. A tall stem carries two arms that meet it at a point, and in bubble form that point is the problem, since three outlines pile into a single knot. Draw it as a rounded junction with clear space around it and it turns into a friendly, wide letter.
Outline version to colour or trace
How to draw a bubble capital K
- 1Draw a vertical stem, then an upper arm slanting up and right from about the middle of the stem.
- 2Add the lower arm leaving that same point and going down and right, which gives you a sideways V attached to the stem.
- 3Inflate the stem into a tube, then each arm into its own tube, ending both arms in round caps.
- 4Soften the junction where arms meet the stem into one smooth bulge, and keep the V-shaped notch between the arms open.
- 5Erase the skeleton and shade the lower arm darker than the upper one, since it sits further from the light.
Tip: Make the arms meet the stem a little apart from each other, not at one point. A small gap on the stem between them keeps the junction from clotting.
How to draw a bubble lowercase k
- 1Draw a tall stem to the ascender line, then two short arms starting at about x-height midpoint.
- 2Make the arms shorter than the capital's, with the upper arm reaching x-height and the lower arm the baseline.
- 3Inflate everything as tubes, round the tall stem's top, and cap each arm with a semicircle.
- 4Let the arms join the stem with a soft bulge, and keep the V between them open rather than closing it.
- 5Erase the pencil and add a highlight to the upper arm with a darker tone under the lower leg.
Tip: Use the arms' angle to carry the style. About 45 degrees looks tidy, and a steeper angle gives a sporty look, though it narrows the V.
What makes K awkward or easy
Three strokes meet in the same place, and inflation makes them thicker exactly there. The gap between the arms is an acute wedge, which the outline shrinks to nothing unless it starts wide. The diagonals also break the neat rounded rhythm of the vertical stems, so the arms often look thin beside them. The lowercase k is a smaller copy with the same issue in a tighter space.
Variations
A graffiti K may extend the lower arm into a long kick. A softer version bends both arms into curves so the letter looks like a bow. Some artists let the arms cross the stem and overlap as separate bubbles. An outline K can use alternating colours for the three strokes, which makes the junction easy to understand.
Common mistakes with bubble K
The three strokes fuse into a lump in the middle.
Start the arms at slightly different heights on the stem and leave a gap, then round the junction by hand.
The V-shaped notch between the arms fills in.
Draw a wider angle between the arms in the skeleton and keep the notch at least one stroke wide after inflation.
The arms are thinner than the stem.
Check the diagonal thickness perpendicular to the arm's direction, not horizontally, and match it to the stem.
The arm ends are cut diagonally and look sharp.
Cap each arm with a semicircle whose diameter equals the stroke width.
Ideas for bubble K
K starts names such as Kai, Kavya and Karim, and words like KIDS and KITE for playroom decorations. In a poster, the open V between the arms is a handy spot for a small star or a tiny drawing. A monogram with K makes a bold shape because of the clear diagonals.
Printable bubble K sheet
Trace the outlines, then fill the empty rows with your own bubble letters.
Bubble letter K k Name: ____________________ · coolletteringgenerator.com
Bubble K you can copy and paste
The circled K is Ⓚ, the lowercase is ⓚ and the black-circled capital is 🅚. Use it as a decorative letter only, since it is a different character from a plain K and may be skipped by search.
Bubble K: questions
How do you draw a bubble letter K?
How do I stop the arms of a bubble K from merging?
What does a lowercase bubble k look like?
Can a bubble K have curved arms?
Keep going
- Bubble Letters AlphabetThe bubble letters alphabet is the full A to Z of thick, rounded, inflated-looking letters, in uppercase and lowercase, with the numbers 0 to 9. Everything here is free to view, print and trace, with no sign-up. Pick a letter to learn how to draw it, or print the outline sheet to colour.
- Printable Bubble Letter GeneratorThis bubble letter generator turns your word into hollow outline letters in four fat fonts. Download the PNG, then print it to trace over or colour in.
- How to Draw Bubble Letters, Step by StepHow to draw bubble letters: write the word in thin capitals, draw a rounded outline around each as if inflated, ink it, erase the skeleton, then shade, highlight and colour. Round every corner and keep the outline thickness even.
- How to Write K in Cursive
- K in Different Fonts
- Graffiti AlphabetThe graffiti alphabet is a set of bold, connected letters that are deliberately distorted so they look fast, large and hard to copy. This page gives an A to Z reference, explains how graffiti letters are built in layers, and tells tags, throw-ups, pieces and wildstyle apart before you draw your own.