How to Write J in Cursive

How to write a cursive capital J

The traditional cursive capital J is a long slanted stroke with a narrow loop at the top and a second loop below the baseline, joined by a straight downstroke. It is written in one movement and connects to the next letter.

Start: On the baseline or just above it, a little left of where the stem will fall.

1. 1Make an undercurve from the baseline up and to the right, rising all the way to the top line.
2. 2At the top line, curve back to the left and down to form a narrow top loop, crossing the upstroke near the midline.
3. 3Pull a straight slant stroke down through the baseline and on to the descender line, about as far below the baseline as the top loop sits above the midline.
4. 4At the bottom, turn left and loop back up, keeping this lower loop slim and on the same slant as the stem.
5. 5Finish with an overcurve that crosses the stem at the baseline and rises to the right, ready to join the next letter.

Connecting: Capital J connects. The overcurve leaving the lower loop leads straight into the next letter, so Jo, Ja and Ju are written without a lift. Some simplified modern models drop the top loop and start J with a plain curve at the top line; the descender loop stays the same.

How to write a cursive lowercase j

Lowercase cursive j starts like a cursive i, climbing from the baseline to the midline, then drops below the baseline and loops back up on the left. It is dotted after the whole word is written.

Start: On the baseline, wherever the letter before it finished. · Letter family: Undercurve letters (i, t, u, w): j opens with the same baseline-to-midline undercurve as i.

1. 1Make an undercurve from the baseline up to the midline, slanting to the right.
2. 2Slant straight down, passing through the baseline and continuing to the descender line.
3. 3Loop back to the left at the bottom and swing upward, so the loop closes where it crosses the stem at the baseline.
4. 4Carry on with an overcurve that rises to the right into the next letter.
5. 5When the word is finished, go back and place a dot above the j, roughly halfway between the midline and the top line.

Connecting: Lowercase j joins on both sides. It picks up the undercurve from the previous letter and leaves with an overcurve from its tail loop, so the next letter is approached from low down, near the baseline, rather than from the midline.

Joining j to other letters

• juju: In just and jump, the tail's overcurve flows into the first point of the u. Let it climb fully to the midline before you pull down, or the u looks squashed against the loop.
• jojo: o begins at the midline with a downcurve. After the tail crosses at the baseline, keep rising to the midline, travel slightly right, then curve back left into the oval.
• JaJa: Capital J exits low but a needs to start at the midline. Swing the overcurve up to the midline and then reverse left into the a's oval, as in Jane and Jack.
• njnj: In enjoy and injure, the n's undercurve exit rises to the midline for the j. Keep the connection short so the j doesn't drift away from the n and look like a separate word.

Common mistakes with cursive J

• Making the tail loop as round as an o

  Keep the descender loop slim, closer to a long teardrop than a circle. Fat loops crash into the tops of letters on the line below.

• Closing the tail loop below the baseline

  The loop should cross the stem right at the baseline. Crossing lower leaves a dangling stroke under the line and the join into the next letter starts too low.

• Stopping capital J at the baseline

  Capital J must pass through the baseline and loop underneath. If it stops on the line it reads as a cursive capital I, which shares the same upstroke and top loop.

• Dotting the j in the middle of the word

  Finish the whole word first, then go back to dot j and i. Stopping mid-word breaks the rhythm, and it's the moment most people forget the dot entirely.

Easily confused with: Capital J is confused with cursive capital I (same top, no descender) and with capital Y or G when the lower loop is cramped. Lowercase j can read as an undotted i with a tail, or as a g whose oval has collapsed.

Practice words with j

• Jacob
• July
• jump
• enjoy
• jelly
• project

Cursive J: questions