How to Write Daniel in Cursive

Your name in school cursive with the capital, the joins and the tricky spots explained, plus a printable practice sheet.

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

"Daniel" in Playwrite US Trad, a typeface modelled on traditional school cursive.

Daniel has a capital D that does not connect, followed by six easy lowercase letters. The challenge is spacing after the lift, and keeping the i and e distinct. With a good D and an even rhythm, the name reads clearly even in fast handwriting.

Copy and paste "Daniel" in cursive

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Letter by letter

Each distinct letter in "Daniel" has its own stroke-by-stroke page.

The joins in Daniel

Da: After the lift, write the a as a closed oval and exit along the baseline.
an: The a exits into the n, a stem with one arch. Keep the arch round.
ni: The n finishes at the baseline and rises into the i. Make a short stem and dot it at the end.
ie: The i exits low into the e, which has a small loop. Close it.
el: The e rises into the l, a tall narrow loop, and finishes with a small tail.

Tricky spots

The D belly: If the belly does not close, the D looks like an O or a C. Bring it back to the stem.
i and e: Both are small. Give the e a loop so it is not mistaken for an i.
The l height: Keep the l clearly taller than the other lowercase letters.

The capital D

Capital D has a slanted stem with a small baseline loop and a large rounded belly that curves back toward the top. It does not connect, so lift and start the a next to the belly. Keep the gap about the width of one oval so the D and the name stay together.

Daniel as a signature

The D belly can become a loop that sweeps around the name. Keep the aniel part compact and let the l end with a slight upward flick. The i dot is worth keeping so the middle remains readable.

Short forms of Daniel

Dan and Danny are the usual short forms. Dan is only the D, a and n, so it is quick to write. Danny adds a second n and a y, which has a descender loop.

As a tattoo

Make sure the D belly is open enough to heal cleanly, and keep the i dot distinct. The l loop should stay narrow but open.

Printable practice sheet

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

Cursive practice: Daniel

Name: ____________________ coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste versions of Daniel

Script 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒾ℯ𝓁 and bold script 𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓵 are generated by code from the Unicode mathematical script blocks, so you can paste either one anywhere that accepts Unicode text. Only the fifth letter, ℯ (U+212F), is borrowed. It comes from the Letterlike Symbols block, so it may sit slightly differently from the 𝒾 and 𝓁 on either side on some devices. The remaining five characters belong to the main script block. In bold script the whole six-letter name stays uniform.

Daniel in cursive: questions

How do you write Daniel in cursive?

Write a capital D with a big belly, lift, then a, n, i, e and l. The lowercase letters all connect. Dot the i at the end. Keep the D belly rounded and closed, and the rest of the name stays easy because every other letter joins.

Does the D connect to the a?

No. Capital D ends at the top of its belly, so you lift your pen and start the a a short distance away. The gap should be about one oval wide: wide enough to show the capital stands alone, narrow enough that the name still reads as a single word.

Is Dan the same as the first part of Daniel?

Yes. Dan uses the same D, a and n, so practising the start of Daniel also practises Dan. If you are writing Daniel, just stop after the n and you have the shorter name. Danny goes a different way, because the n doubles and the y drops a loop below the baseline, so its ending looks very different.