How to Write I love you in Cursive

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · October 2026 · How we review content

"I love you" in Playwrite US Trad, a typeface modelled on traditional school cursive.

This is three words, so it has two jobs that a single word does not: the spacing between words and a capital I that stands alone. After that the letters do the same job twice. The o in love and the o in you each end in a bridge that hands the next letter a high start, and learning both handoffs is most of the work.

Copy and paste "I love you" in cursive

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Letter by letter

Each distinct letter in "I love you" has its own stroke-by-stroke page.

The joins in I love you

ov: In love the o bridge feeds straight into the v, which then starts at the midline. Keep the bridge short and the v point deep so the middle word does not sag.
ve: After the v, the bridge goes directly into the e loop at the midline. This is the join that most often breaks when writing quickly, leaving a gap before the final e of love.
yo: The y finishes with a loop that crosses at the baseline, and from that crossing the stroke climbs into the top of the o. Close the y loop low or the climb will be too steep and the o will tilt backward.
ou: The bridge from the o leads into the u, which starts at the midline with its first point. Make the u points sharp and equal; round humps turn the end of the phrase into oun.

Tricky spots

The capital I: Capital I does not join in school cursive, so lift after it and leave a clear gap before the l. It is a single tall stroke with a curl, quite unlike the printed bar letter, and many people mistake it for a J if the curl is too big.
Spacing between words: Leave a gap about the width of a lowercase o between I, love and you. Cursive words run together fast, and without gaps the phrase reads as ilove you.
The y descender: The tail of the y drops below the baseline on the last word. Give it room, and if you write the phrase on two lines, keep the tail from touching the line below.

Capitals

Capital I is required because it is a pronoun, and it is the only capital in the phrase. The traditional form starts near the baseline, sweeps to the top line and curls back. It stands alone: lift the pen and start love near its foot. Keep the rest lowercase for a gentle look; capitalising Love and You as well is a stylistic choice for titles and cards.

Variations and styles

In a note or card, write the three words on one line with generous gaps, then sign beneath. In a signature-style version, the loop of the I can be enlarged to act as a flourish that underlines the phrase. A stacked layout on a mug or a wall hanging puts I love on top and you below, where the y descender gets plenty of space. Fountain pen and brush pen writers can thicken the downstroke on the v.

As a tattoo

The phrase is long, so size decides legibility. Plan for letters at least 1.5 cm tall on a forearm or rib, and give the three words slightly more space than your writing normally has, because ink spreads over time. Many people use the handwriting of the person they are addressing; if you do, have the artist keep their original joins, including the o bridges, rather than tidying them.

Printable practice sheet

Trace the grey letters, then write your own on the empty lines. Prints on one page (Letter or A4).

Cursive practice: I love you

Name: ____________________ coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste versions of I love you

Four glyphs in ℐ 𝓁ℴ𝓋ℯ 𝓎ℴ𝓊 are borrowed: ℐ (U+2110) for the capital I, ℴ (U+2134) in both love and you, and ℯ (U+212F) at the end of love. Only 𝓁, 𝓋, 𝓎 and 𝓊 stay in the main block. Bold script 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 replaces none. Because the phrase is three words, check that your app keeps both spaces after pasting.

I love you in cursive: questions

How do you write I love you in cursive for a card?

Start with the capital I as a separate stroke, then lift and write love and you with a clear space between each word. Inside each word keep the o bridges at the midline so the v and u start high. Finish by dotting nothing, because there are no lowercase i letters, and add a short flourish from the y tail if you want one.

Does the capital I in cursive look like a J?

It can. A traditional capital I begins low, swings up to the top line, comes straight down and curls to the left before crossing to the right. A J has a descender below the baseline. If your I has a long tail underneath, shorten the curl and keep the whole letter between the baseline and the top line.

Can I copy and paste I love you in cursive on Instagram or a text?

Yes, with Unicode script text such as the version above, as long as the app shows mathematical script characters. It works in most messages and bios, but screen readers may announce each letter by name. Keep an ordinary-text version nearby for people who use assistive technology and for apps that show boxes.

How do you connect the o and u in you?

Write the o closed at the midline, then run the exit stroke along the midline as a bridge directly into the first upstroke of the u. Do not drop to the baseline between them. The u then has two sharp points and a rounded base, followed by an undercurve if another letter comes next.