Cursive Z (Capital & Lowercase)

How to Write a Capital Z in Cursive

1. Start with a hook on the left. Begin a little below the top line and make a small curl that sweeps up and to the right.
2. Arc over the top. Carry the curve along the top line and round it off on the right, like the top of a 3.
3. Come back to a small turn. Curve down and to the left in a long diagonal, then make a small, tight turn on the left, about halfway between the midline and the baseline.
4. Drop the loop. From the turn, pull a stem down through the baseline to the dotted descender line, then loop to the left and swing back up.
5. Cross and exit. Cross the stem just above the baseline and finish with a short stroke up to the right that leads into the next letter.

How to Write a Lowercase z in Cursive

1. Start at the midline. From the previous letter or a small entry, arrive just below the midline with a short hook.
2. Make a small arc. Roll up over the midline and round off to the right, a mini version of the capital's top.
3. Turn above the baseline. Come back down and to the left and make a small turn just above the baseline.
4. Loop below the line. Drop a stem to the descender line, loop to the left and come back up.
5. Close and exit. Cross the stem just above the baseline and exit up to the right.

Common Mistakes With Cursive Z

Because the cursive z looks so different from the printed one, a few predictable slips show up again and again.

• Writing a printed zigzag. A Z made of straight lines doesn't join and looks out of place in cursive. Use the curved top and the loop.
• Skipping the small turn. Without the little turn in the middle, the z becomes a plain curve with a tail and looks like a cursive y or j.
• Turning too low. If the turn sits on the baseline, the loop starts too late and the letter grows a long stiff tail.
• A wide loop. A big round loop crowds the line below. Keep it slim and tilted with the slant.
• Making it look like a 3. A z with two equal bumps and no loop reads as the number 3. The loop below the baseline is what makes it a letter.
• A capital Z that's too small. The arc of the capital should reach the top line. A short one looks like an oversized lowercase z.

How Cursive Z Connects to Other Letters

In this traditional style both forms of Z join the next letter. The loop crosses back just above the baseline and the exit stroke runs straight on, as in Zoe and Zara.

Joining into a lowercase z is smooth too: the stroke from the previous letter rises into the small arc. In pizza the first z's exit leads straight into the arc of the second, so you write two loops in a row. Keep them the same size.

After o, w, v and b the bridge reaches the z at the midline and rolls straight into its arc, as you can see in dozen. That makes the top of the z slightly flatter, which is fine.

Copy and Paste Cursive Z Symbols

These Z symbols are Unicode script characters. They look handwritten and work in most apps and profiles, but each one is a separate character, so they won't join together like the cursive above.

• 𝒵ℯ𝓃Copy
• 𝒵ℯ𝓈𝓉Copy
• 𝒵ℯ𝓇ℴ 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶Copy
• 𝒵ℴℴ𝓂Copy

Words That Start With Z

Z is one of the least used letters in English, so practice it on purpose. Mix words that start with z with words that have a z or a double z in the middle.

• Short words: zoo, zip, zap, zero, zone, zest, zinc, zany
• Longer words: zebra, zipper, zigzag, zombie, zucchini, zealous, zodiac, zipline
• Middle z and double z: pizza, puzzle, dizzy, buzzer, dozen, lazy, frozen, amazing
• Names and places: Zoe, Zara, Zack, Zion, Zane, Zambia, Zurich, Zanzibar

Try zigzag slowly. It has two z's and a g, which means three loops below the baseline in one short word.