How to Write C in Cursive

How to write a cursive capital C

Traditional cursive capital C begins with a small curl at the top line, then drops into a large open curve that sweeps around to the baseline and leaves with an undercurve.

Start: Just below the top line, a little right of the letter's centre.

1. 1Make a small clockwise curl at the top: go up to the top line and turn back down to the left, forming a little loop or hook.
2. 2Continue the stroke into a large curve that travels left and down, staying on the slant.
3. 3Round the bottom of the curve on the baseline, keeping the letter open on the right side.
4. 4Swing up and to the right with an undercurve that ends near the midline, ready to join.

Connecting: Capital C joins the following lowercase letter in Zaner-Bloser and D'Nealian cursive, because it finishes with an undercurve on the baseline. In Palmer style the top curl is often a full loop; the join is the same.

How to write a cursive lowercase c

Lowercase cursive c rises to the midline, makes a small hook back to the right, then curves down and around to the baseline without closing.

Start: On the baseline, from the previous letter's exit stroke. · Letter family: Downcurve letters (a, d, g, o, q, c); c uses the same over-and-back start but never closes.

1. 1Rise from the baseline to the midline in a short undercurve, ready to curl back for the c bowl.
2. 2At the midline, make a tiny hook: dip slightly back to the right and retrace, so the top has a visible point.
3. 3Curve over to the left and down, as if starting an a, but keep going around to the baseline.
4. 4Leave the right side open and exit with an undercurve toward the midline.

Connecting: Lowercase c joins on both sides, entering from the baseline and leaving from the baseline, which makes it one of the easiest letters to link.

Joining c to other letters

• chch: From the baseline exit of the c, sweep up into the tall loop of the h. Start curving up early so the h loop reaches the top line; a shallow exit gives you a squat h that looks like n.
• caca: Both letters start with the over-and-back curve, so the pair repeats a motion. Close the a firmly but leave the c open; if both close, 'ca' reads as 'oa'.
• ckck: Common at the end of words like 'back' and 'clock'. The c exit rises into the k loop, so give the c a full-height hook first and do not let its curve close against the k's upstroke.
• ococ: The o leaves along the midline, so the c starts from the bridge. Make the c's hook right at the end of the bridge, then drop into its curve, or the hook disappears into the join.

Common mistakes with cursive C

• Skipping the hook at the top of lowercase c

  Pause at the midline and make a small back-and-forth point before curving down. Without it the c can be read as an i or a short e.

• Closing the c into an oval

  Stop the curve on the baseline and exit to the right. A closed c turns 'cot' into 'oot'.

• Making the capital C's top curl huge

  Keep the curl small, inside the top quarter of the letter. An oversized curl looks like a separate loop and can be mistaken for capital E or a stray mark.

Easily confused with: Lowercase cursive c is confused with e (looped top), i (no hook, very narrow) and a or o if it closes. Capital C can look like capital E if the top curl is turned into a second bump.

Practice words with c

• Charlotte
• Carlos
• circle
• chicken
• picnic
• because

Cursive C: questions