How to write cursive U and u
Capital U is a curl at the top, two slanted stems joined by a rounded bottom, and a tail. Lowercase u is the same shape half as tall: down, round, up, down again, and out.
Capital U
Tall: baseline to topline.
Just below the topline, on the left, with a small curl.
Low on the right, swinging up: the tail reaches a third to half of the way to the midline and runs into the next letter.
Lowercase u
Short: baseline to midline.
At the midline. At the start of a word, many people add a short upstroke from the baseline first.
Low on the right, swinging up.
The u and the n are upside-down versions of each other. The u is rounded at the bottom and pointed at the top; the n is the other way round. If your u's are rounded at the top too, they read as n's.
Common mistakes with capital U
- The bottom is pointed, so the U reads as a V.
- The second stem retraces the first upstroke instead of standing on its own, so the U looks like a cursive J without a tail.
- The starting curl is drawn as a loop, so there is an extra letter at the top.
Common mistakes with lowercase u
- The tops are rounded over, so the u reads as an n.
- The two downstrokes are not parallel.
- The pen loops at the top of each upstroke, so the u becomes 'ee'.
Joining u to other letters
Practice these pairs until the join feels like one movement.
Print a practice sheet for U and u
The sheet has the numbered stroke guide for both letters, rows to trace, two practice words and a blank row for writing on your own.