Cursive J: how to write the letter J in cursive
The lowercase cursive j is an i that continues below the baseline into a loop, plus a dot: in Zaner-Bloser terms, undercurve, slant, loop, overcurve; dot. It belongs to the undercurve letters (start with a swing up from the baseline) and is a medium-difficulty letters to learn. Below you will find the capital and lowercase J on three-line guides, stroke-by-stroke instructions, practice words, and a free printable worksheet in the same school cursive style.
Lowercase j at a glance
- Strokes
- 2 (undercurve, slant, loop, overcurve; dot)
- Starts
- at the baseline
- Ends
- with an undercurve up to the midline
- Family
- undercurve letters
Capital J at a glance
- Strokes
- 1 (overcurve, slant, loop, overcurve)
- Starts
- at the baseline
- Next letter
- joins without lifting the pencil
Capital cursive J
Lowercase cursive j
Free cursive J worksheet
Cursive J practice worksheet
1 page · US Letter, prints on A4 · free
Capital J and lowercase j to trace, copy and write on your own, plus four practice words (jam, jet, jog, jump). Three-line guides, standard school cursive.
How to write a lowercase j in cursive
- Start at the baseline. Make an undercurve up to the midline.
- Slant down through the baseline into the descender space.
- Make a loop back to the left, cross on the baseline, and curve over to the midline to join the next letter.
- After the word is written, add the dot at the same height as an i dot.
Tip: A j is simply an i with the tail of a g. Practice "ij ij ij" to feel the difference.
How to write a capital J in cursive
- Start at the baseline. Curve over to the topline, then slant down through the baseline into the descender space.
- Make a loop back to the left, cross on the baseline, and curve over to the midline. The capital J joins the next letter.
The capital J joins the next letter, so names and sentence openers are written in one motion.
Cursive words with the letter j
Practice the j inside real words so the joins become automatic. All of these appear on the worksheet.
Each of these words has its own page with the joins explained: see cursive words.
Common mistakes with the cursive J
- Looping to the right like a q.
- Forgetting the dot, which makes the j look like a lowercase g without its oval.
Letters that use the same motion
The j is easier to master alongside letters that start the same way. Practice these together:
Cursive J questions
Does the capital J connect to the next letter in cursive?
Yes. In standard school cursive the capital J ends with an exit stroke that joins the next letter, so a word like "Jam" is written without lifting the pencil.
Where does the lowercase j end?
The lowercase j ends on the baseline with an upward exit stroke. The next letter starts from that stroke, which keeps the whole word connected.
Is the cursive J hard to learn?
The j is a medium-difficulty letters of the cursive alphabet. A j is simply an i with the tail of a g. Practice "ij ij ij" to feel the difference.
Which cursive style is the J shown in?
The letters on this page and in the worksheet use the standard school cursive taught in most US classrooms (the Zaner-Bloser style). D'Nealian cursive differs slightly in slant and in a few capitals, but the strokes described here apply to both.