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Y in Graffiti Letters

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

Capital Y
Lowercase y

Rendered in the Sedgwick Ave Display typeface, an open-source font. It is a reference shape, not a hand-drawn letter.

Y is a V on a stem, and in graffiti it is a letter that likes to travel. The fork gives you two arms to decorate, and the stem can drop below the baseline in the lowercase and sweep under the next letters. It is one of the best letters for adding a tail, but also one of the easiest to overbalance, because the weight sits on top and the stem is thin.

Outline version to colour or trace

Open in the graffiti generator →

How to draw a graffiti capital Y

  1. 1Draw two diagonal arms that meet in the middle of the letter and a stem that runs from the meeting point to the baseline.
  2. 2Make the right arm longer and higher than the left, so the letter has a lean and a clear lead stroke.
  3. 3Thicken the arms and the stem to the same width, letting the stem be a touch heavier to carry the weight above.
  4. 4Outline the body and keep the inner V open, with a small cut where the arms meet the stem.
  5. 5Tip the arms with arrows or spikes, fill, highlight the left arm and add a block along the stem.

Tip: Start the stem from the very bottom of the V, so the three strokes meet at one point. If the stem starts below the fork, the Y looks like a V on a stick.

How to draw a graffiti lowercase y

  1. 1Draw a small V at x-height, then extend the right arm down below the baseline as a long tail.
  2. 2Curve the tail back to the left at the bottom, forming a hook in the descender space.
  3. 3Thicken both arms and the tail to the same width.
  4. 4Outline and keep the inner V open and the tail hook wide.
  5. 5Fill, highlight the left arm and flick the tail under the next letter.

Tip: The lowercase y shares its descender with g and j, so you can reuse the same hook across the three letters.

What makes Y awkward or easy

Y has three strokes meeting at one point, so the junction clogs, and the stem is a single stroke under two arms, so it looks weak if you do not thicken it. The wide arms also leave a gap above that needs managing. The descender of the lowercase is a long stroke that can run into the line below, so leave room underneath.

Variations

A tag Y is a quick V with a tail. A throw-up Y is a fat fork on a thick stem. A piece Y might have a long hooked tail, arrows on both arms and a deep block. Wildstyle Y wraps the stem around the neighbouring letter and sends a tail across the whole word.

Common mistakes with graffiti Y

  • The stem is thin under thick arms.

    Thicken the stem until it carries the weight of the fork.

  • The stem starts below the fork and the Y looks like a V on a stick.

    Draw the stem from the meeting point of the arms so all three strokes join at one spot.

  • The inner V closes after outlining.

    Draw the inner triangle first and build the strokes around it.

  • The descender hits the line below.

    Shorten the tail or leave more space beneath the baseline.

Ideas for graffiti Y

Y starts names such as Yara, Yuri and Yan, and ends words like Crazy, Hype and Style. Practise tails on their own: fill a page with ten descenders and pick the ones that curl neatly into a, e and o.

Printable graffiti Y sheet

Trace the outlines, then fill the empty rows with your own letters.

Graffiti letter Y y Name: ____________________ · coolletteringgenerator.com

Graffiti Y you can copy and paste

There is no graffiti alphabet in Unicode. The nearest copy-paste forms are bold gothic 𝖄 𝖞, black squares 🆈 and bubble letters Ⓨ ⓨ. They are fixed glyphs, so the tail will not extend and hook like a drawn Y.

Graffiti Y: questions

How do you draw a graffiti letter Y?
Draw two arms meeting at a point and a stem running down to the baseline, with the right arm longer. Thicken all three strokes evenly, outline and keep the inner V open. Tip the arms with arrows, fill, highlight the left arm and add a block along the stem.
How do I draw a lowercase y with a tail?
Draw a small V at x-height, extend the right arm below the baseline and curve it back to the left. Thicken everything evenly, keep the hook open and finish with a flick or arrow. The tail can slide under the next letter to link the word.
Why does my Y look unbalanced?
The stem is probably too thin or too short compared with the arms. Thicken the stem, make sure it starts at the meeting point of the arms and keep the arms from spreading too wide. The weight should feel like it rests on the stem.
Can the arms of a Y have different heights?
Yes, and they should. A taller right arm gives the Y a lean and a lead stroke. Keep the left arm shorter and thicker if you want contrast. Make sure both arms still meet clearly at the stem, and check the lean against your other letters.

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