How to Write H in Cursive

How to write a cursive capital H

Traditional cursive capital H is two slanted stems drawn separately, joined by a looped crossbar that starts from the right stem and exits toward the next letter.

Start: Just below the top line, with a small curve leading into the left stem.

1. 1Begin with a small forward curve near the top line, then pull a slant stroke down to the baseline for the left stem. Lift.
2. 2Start again at the top line, to the right of the first stem, and pull a second slant stroke down to the baseline.
3. 3Retrace up the right stem to about the midline.
4. 4Loop to the left across to the first stem, then come back across to the right, forming a small crossbar loop at the midline.
5. 5Finish with a short stroke out to the right from the loop, ready to lead into the next letter.

Connecting: In Zaner-Bloser cursive capital H does join: the crossbar loop finishes with a stroke heading right, and that stroke carries into the next lowercase letter. D'Nealian capital H is similar but plainer. Some Palmer-style writers end the crossbar inside the letter and lift.

How to write a cursive lowercase h

Lowercase cursive h rises into a tall loop, drops straight to the baseline, then retraces partway up and makes one open hump before exiting along the baseline.

Start: On the baseline, from the previous letter's exit stroke. · Letter family: Loop letters (e, l, h, k, b, f); after the loop, h borrows the overcurve hump used in n and m.

1. 1Make an undercurve from the baseline up to the top line.
2. 2Loop back to the left and pull a straight slant stroke down to the baseline, crossing the upstroke near the midline.
3. 3Retrace up the stem to about the midline, then curve over to the right in a rounded hump.
4. 4Come down the right side of the hump on the slant to the baseline, leaving the bottom open.
5. 5Exit with an undercurve to the right.

Connecting: Lowercase h joins on both sides along the baseline. Unlike b, it does not end high, so the next letter starts from the baseline as normal.

Joining h to other letters

• thth: The t exits on the baseline, then the stroke climbs into the h loop. Cross the t after finishing the h; crossing first tends to make you shorten the h loop to avoid the bar.
• chch: After the open c, swing up into the h loop with a long, smooth upstroke. Keep the h's hump the same width as an n so 'ch' does not look like 'cl' followed by a stray stroke.
• hehe: The h exits from the bottom of its hump into the e loop. Keep the e small; a tall e beside the h loop reads as 'hl'.
• whwh: The w ends with a bridge at the midline, so the h starts from up there. Rise from the bridge straight into the tall loop without dropping to the baseline first.

Common mistakes with cursive H

• Closing the hump of lowercase h

  Leave the bottom of the hump open and exit from the baseline. A closed hump with a dip turns h into b, and 'he' starts to read as 'be'.

• Adding a small loop in the hump

  Make one smooth rounded hump. A loop or kink at the top of the hump is how k is formed, so 'thin' becomes 'tkin'.

• Retracing too high before the hump

  Only go back up the stem to the midline. Starting the hump near the top line stretches the h until it looks like a capital.

• Floating the capital H crossbar loop away from the left stem

  Carry the loop all the way across until it touches the first stem. A crossbar that stops short makes capital H look like a K or a pair of separate letters.

Easily confused with: Lowercase cursive h is confused with k (loop or kink in the hump), b (closed hump) and l followed by n when the hump is detached. Capital H can look like capital K or like two capital I shapes if the crossbar loop is weak.

Practice words with h

• Henry
• Hannah
• happy
• home
• father
• chair

Cursive H: questions