Cursive K (Capital & Lowercase)

How to Write a Capital K in Cursive

1. Start with a little wave. Begin just below the top line on the left. Make a small hook and run the stroke to the right so it rises to touch the top line.
2. Pull down the stem. From that high point, draw a long slanted stroke all the way down to the baseline. Then lift your pencil, because the capital K is written in two parts.
3. Start the arm at the top right. Place your pencil on the top line to the right of the stem and make a small curl, like the end of a ribbon.
4. Curve in to the stem. Bring the stroke down and to the left so it meets the stem a little above the dashed midline. Make a tiny turn right there.
5. Kick out the leg. From the turn, curve down and to the right until you reach the baseline, then round the end upward. That upturn carries into the next letter.

Lowercase k in Cursive, Step by Step

1. Swing up from the baseline. Start on the baseline and make a long slanted upstroke that reaches the top line, just like the start of a cursive l.
2. Loop and come down. Curve over to the left at the top and pull a straight stroke down to the baseline, crossing your upstroke near the midline. Keep the loop slim.
3. Climb back up the stem. Without lifting, retrace a short way up from the bottom of the stem and head out to the right.
4. Make a small loop at the midline. Curl up to touch the dashed midline and come back toward the stem, closing a little loop on the right side of the letter.
5. Kick out to the baseline. From the loop, draw the leg down and to the right to the baseline, then finish with a small upturn that leads into the next letter.

Common Mistakes With Cursive K

K has more parts than most letters, so it's easy to lose one. These are the slips that make it hard to read.

• Skipping the small loop. Without the little loop at the midline, the lowercase k turns into a cursive h. The loop is what tells the two apart.
• Making the loop too big. If the small loop grows up toward the top line, the k looks like a b. Keep it tucked between the midline and the stem.
• Joining the arm too low. On the capital, the curved stroke should meet the stem just above the midline. If it meets near the baseline, the leg has no room to kick out.
• Forgetting to lift. Trying to write the capital K in one stroke usually ruins the slant of the stem. Lift once after the stem, then add the arm and leg.
• A flat leg. The leg ends with an upturn. If it stops dead on the baseline, the next letter has nothing to join to.

How the Cursive Letter K Connects

Both forms of K join the letter after them. The capital K's leg curls up at the baseline and runs straight into the next letter, so names like Kate and Kim stay joined even though the K itself needs one pencil lift.

Inside a word, the lowercase k starts the way an l does: the connecting stroke rises from the baseline to the top line and turns into the tall loop. In baking, the a hands over to the k on the baseline, and the k's leg kicks straight into the i.

A double k isn't common in English, but after letters that end high, such as o and w, the join leaves at the midline and climbs up into the k's loop. You can see that bridge in woke.

Copy and Paste Cursive K Symbols

These are Unicode characters, not handwriting. They look like script and paste into most apps, but each one stands alone, so they won't join like real cursive. Use them for names, bios and captions.

• 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝒹Copy
• 𝒦ℯℯ𝓅 𝒢ℴ𝒾𝓃ℊCopy
• 𝒦𝒾𝓈𝓈Copy
• 𝒦𝒾𝓃ℊCopy

Words That Start With K

Practice the lowercase k in real words to get the small loop automatic. Start short, then try words where the k sits in the middle.

• Short words: kid, kit, key, kin, keg, kiss, kick, kite
• Longer words: kitchen, kitten, kingdom, kettle, kindness, kangaroo, keyboard, koala
• K in the middle: baking, monkey, pocket, turkey, market, broken, bucket, cookie
• Names and places: Kate, Kevin, Kim, Kyle, Kenya, Kansas, Kentucky, Korea

Many English words start with a silent k, like knee, knife, knock and know. They're great practice for the kn join, which shows up a lot.