Cursive Y: how to write the letter Y in cursive
The lowercase cursive y is an overcurve, a slant, an undercurve and a second slant that drops below the baseline into a loop: in Zaner-Bloser terms, overcurve, slant, undercurve, slant, loop, overcurve. It belongs to the overcurve letters (start by going over the top, like n and m) and is a medium-difficulty letters to learn. Below you will find the capital and lowercase Y on three-line guides, stroke-by-stroke instructions, practice words, and a free printable worksheet in the same school cursive style.
Lowercase y at a glance
- Strokes
- 1 (overcurve, slant, undercurve, slant, loop, overcurve)
- Starts
- at the baseline
- Ends
- with an undercurve up to the midline
- Family
- overcurve letters
Capital Y at a glance
- Strokes
- 1 (curve forward, slant, undercurve, slant, loop, overcurve)
- Starts
- at the baseline
- Next letter
- joins without lifting the pencil
Capital cursive Y
Lowercase cursive y
Free cursive Y worksheet
Cursive Y practice worksheet
1 page · US Letter, prints on A4 · free
Capital Y and lowercase y to trace, copy and write on your own, plus four practice words (yes, yak, yarn, year). Three-line guides, standard school cursive.
How to write a lowercase y in cursive
- Start at the baseline. Curve over to the midline and slant down to 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.
Tip: A y is a u with the tail of a g. Practice "uy uy uy" and "gy gy gy" to lock in the motion.
How to write a capital Y in cursive
- Start at the baseline. Curve forward to the topline and slant down to the baseline.
- Make an undercurve up 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 Y joins the next letter.
The capital Y joins the next letter, so names and sentence openers are written in one motion.
Cursive words with the letter y
Practice the y 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 Y
- Looping to the right instead of the left.
- Making the first part an n instead of a u shape.
Letters that use the same motion
The y is easier to master alongside letters that start the same way. Practice these together:
Cursive Y questions
Does the capital Y connect to the next letter in cursive?
Yes. In standard school cursive the capital Y ends with an exit stroke that joins the next letter, so a word like "Yes" is written without lifting the pencil.
Where does the lowercase y end?
The lowercase y 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 Y hard to learn?
The y is a medium-difficulty letters of the cursive alphabet. A y is a u with the tail of a g. Practice "uy uy uy" and "gy gy gy" to lock in the motion.
Which cursive style is the Y 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.