Cursive Letters

Learning all of the letters of the alphabet in cursive

Home » Cursive a

Lowercase Letters

Capital letters.

  • Lowercase a
  • Uppercase A

Cursive isn’t being taught as widely as it once was, but that’s all the more reason to want to learn it on your own. If you stumbled upon this page because you were hoping to learn how to write a cursive “a” you’ll be happy to know that’s exactly what we intend to teach you. It’s important to note that there are actually a wide variety of different cursive fonts that exist which go from basic to quite fancy. The differences in cursive writing are what make it so interesting and fun to learn, especially since you can incorporate your own flair into your cursive writing once you learn the basics. On this page, we’ll be concentrating on D’Nealian cursive which is the most commonly taught cursive writing in the US to those who’re first learning.

How Do You Write a Lowercase Cursive “a”?

Being the first letter of the alphabet, learning cursive writing by mastering the cursive “a” is how most people begin their journey. The good news is that of all the different cursive letters, the cursive “a” is one of the easiest to master. While there are a couple of common mistakes that those who’re first learning may commit, a little practice and repetition should allow you to master the cursive “a” in a relatively short period of time. To get the ball rolling and to understand the correct way to write a cursive “a” one of the best initial steps you can take is to watch a video of someone writing with the proper technique. The videos below will show you how to write a cursive “a” along with the common mistakes to avoid when writing it.

Watch a how-to video

  • Lowercase "a"
  • Connecting "a's"
  • Words starting with "a"
  • Words that contain "a"

Once you have watched the videos a time or two, the next step is to get you to try and write cursive as well. This can be done by taking out a notebook and following the strokes in the video on your paper. Another option is to use a cursive “a” worksheet (which we provide below) where you can follow dotted lines while watching the video or in your own spare time on your own. The main point is that in order to get better at cursive writing, you need to practice that writing. Since the cursive “a” is fairly easy to master, it’s a wonderful first letter to begin with on your journey to learn how to write cursive.

Try one of the worksheets

cursive writing a

It’s our hope that the videos and worksheets on how to write a cursive lowercase “a” have been informative and helped you to master this first cursive letter. If this is the case, you can then move on to practicing and mastering your next cursive letter. One of the main goals of creating this particular page, and this website as a whole, was to make the learning of cursive letters and cursive writing both simple and fun so that more people will want to learn how to write in cursive. We’re always looking for suggestions and ideas on ways we can improve this page and make learning the cursive “a” even easier. If you have a comment you want to pass along to us, please feel free to use the contact link to let us know. The more we hear from those who use this page, the more improvements we can make to make this the best cursive page on mastering the cursive letter “a”.

  • Privacy Policy

Powered by WordPress / Academica WordPress Theme by WPZOOM

  • PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
  • EDIT Edit this Article
  • EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
  • Browse Articles
  • Learn Something New
  • Quizzes Hot
  • This Or That Game New
  • Train Your Brain
  • Explore More
  • Support wikiHow
  • About wikiHow
  • Log in / Sign up
  • Education and Communications

How to Write in Cursive

Last Updated: February 20, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Tami Claytor . Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,005,754 times.

Writing in cursive is a good skill to have if you’d like to handwrite a letter, a journal entry, or an invitation. Start by improving your writing skill by making adjustments. You can then practice lowercase and uppercase letters in cursive, working your way through the alphabet. Make sure you also perfect your technique by practicing once a day and challenging yourself to write long sentences or paragraphs in cursive.

Starting Off

Step 1 Sit on a chair at a desk.

  • You should not write at a desk that is too low or too high for you. Make sure you do not have to crouch or strain yourself to sit comfortably at the desk.

Step 2 Use an ink pen that has a felt tip.

  • You can also use pencil to write in cursive, especially if you want the option of erasing your letters and starting again. Get a B pencil with a triangular barrel, as it will be softer on the paper and easier to write with.

Step 3 Write on lined paper so your letters are the same size and shape.

  • If you’d prefer plain paper so you have more room to try the flowing, loose movements of cursive, you can use it. However, it may be more difficult for you to make your letters uniform without lines on the paper.

Step 4 Place the paper at an angle.

  • Angling the paper will make it easier for you to slant your letters as you write. In cursive, your letters should slant up and to the right by 35 degrees.

Step 5 Use your non-writing hand to move the paper up as you write.

Creating Lowercase Cursive Letters

Step 1 Practice “a.

  • Once you master "a" and "c," try doing letters that follow similar strokes like “d,” “q,” and “g.”

Step 3 Try “i.

  • You can also try other letters that follow similar strokes, such as “w” and “t.”

Step 5 Do “e.

  • You can try other letters that follow similar strokes, such as “h,” “k,” “b,” “f,” and “j.”

Step 7 Practice “n.

  • Once you master these letters, try letters that follow similar strokes like “v” and “x.”

Doing Uppercase Cursive Letters

Step 1 Try

  • An uppercase "A" in cursive is similar to a lowercase "a" in cursive. It should touch the top and bottom lines.

Step 2 Try “O.”

  • The letters “O,” “M,” and “N” in uppercase follow the same strokes as lowercase. The only difference is that the uppercase letters cover more space on the line.

Step 3 Practice “B.”

  • An uppercase “B” is written very differently in cursive than a lowercase “b.” You may need to practice it a few times to get it right.

Step 4 Do “E.”

  • An “E” in cursive looks a lot like a backwards “3.”

Step 5 Practice

Perfecting Your Technique

Step 1 Use letter guides.

  • Look for letter guides online. You can also ask your instructors or teachers for letter guides.

Step 2 Practice one letter by making a linked pattern.

  • You can also try doing a pattern of a different letter on each line of the page.
  • If you find certain letters difficult, challenge yourself to do a pattern of the letter.

Step 3 Join up your letters to form words.

  • You can also try writing your name in cursive, especially if it is short.

Step 4 Practice writing cursive 20 minutes a day.

  • As a fun challenge, you can try writing out sentences or phrases that you like from books, songs, or movies in cursive as part of your practice.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • Brush pens are often used for cursive lettering to achieve swooping, calligraphy-style lettering. However, you should stick to normal pens when starting out so you don't over-complicate things. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • If you're really struggling with a certain letter, adapt it slightly to work for you. If you're stuck on a lowercase "b," for example, alter the form slightly to look more like a printed "b." Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

cursive writing a

Things You’ll Need

  • An ink pen or a pencil
  • Lined or plain paper

Sample Alphabets and Practice Page

cursive writing a

You Might Also Like

Improve Your Cursive

  • ↑ https://www.readingrockets.org/article/importance-teaching-handwriting
  • ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/11/how-improve-your-handwriting
  • ↑ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/12/16/improve-your-cursive-handwriting/
  • ↑ http://www.kidzone.ws/cursive/
  • ↑ http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/cursive/animation/uppercase.htm
  • ↑ https://libraryguides.centennialcollege.ca/c.php?g=712179&p=5076896

About This Article

Tami Claytor

To get started writing cursive, it helps to have the right materials. Use a pen with ink that flows smoothly, such as a felt-tip pen or a gel pen. You can also write cursive with a pencil, which will make it easier to fix mistakes as you learn. Choose writing paper with lines to help make sure that your writing comes out straight and the sizes and shapes of your letters stay consistent. If possible, get three-lined paper that has a dotted line in the middle of each set of solid lines. As you write, keep the paper tilted at a 35° angle, which will help give the letters the correct amount of slant. Keep a relaxed grip on the pen or pencil and hold it at a 45° angle relative to the paper. Practice writing the lower-case letters first, since these are the ones you’ll use the most often. You might find it helpful to use a cursive letter chart that shows the steps to write each letter. For example, when you’re writing a lower-case a on 3-lined paper, begin with an upward stroke that starts at the solid bottom line and curves up until it meets the dotted line in the middle, then goes back down slightly. Then, trace the line backwards, but this time swoop back up and around to meet the end of the first stroke. Swoop back down to make a curving “tail” that ends just before it meets the dotted line. After you’ve mastered the lower-case letters, get to know the upper-case ones. While some of them, like A, are basically bigger versions of the lower-case letters, others look completely different. For example, you’ll need to use a totally different technique to make an upper-case F from the method you use to write the lower-case version. Once you’re used to writing all the letters, it’s time to put them together. Part of what makes cursive different from print is that the letters connect, which helps the script flow smoothly while you’re writing. Practice writing connected rows of letters, then move on to writing out words and sentences in cursive. It may feel awkward at first, but with about 20 minutes of practice a day, you’ll soon be writing beautiful, flowing cursive. If you want to learn how to improve your penmanship while writing cursive, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

  • Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Soumita Das

Soumita Das

Apr 17, 2020

Did this article help you?

cursive writing a

Celeste Cox

Jun 6, 2017

Zaraa Bresti

Zaraa Bresti

Dec 20, 2018

Ana Garcia

Jan 15, 2020

Mohammed Ali

Mohammed Ali

Jul 14, 2016

Am I a Narcissist or an Empath Quiz

Featured Articles

Study Efficiently

Trending Articles

How to Take the Perfect Thirst Trap

Watch Articles

Wrap a Round Gift

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Info
  • Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

  • [email protected]

SuryasCursive.com

Free cursive writing worksheets (pdf).

We have prepared a few important and effective downloadable and printable worksheets in PDF format with dotted cursive letters to practice Cursive Writing. You can use these in Surya’s Cursive Writing Course . You can also use them directly if you need some practice.

[Update on 1-Jun-2023: We have added 26 Connecting Cursive Letters (a-z) worksheets. Check them out.]

Lower Case Letters

cursive writing a

See  Free A-Z Lowercase Cursive Handwriting Worksheets

Capital Case Letters

cursive writing a

See Free A-Z Capital Cursive Handwriting Worksheets

Connecting Cursive Letters

cursive writing a

See  Joining Cursive Letters Worksheets (PDF)

Cursive Words

cursive writing a

See Cursive Words Worksheets

1-100 Number Spellings

cursive writing a

See  Numbers 1 to 100 Spellings in Cursive Writing (Worksheets)

cursive writing a

See  Free Cursive Writing Paragraph Worksheets (PDF)

Strokes and Patterns

cursive writing a

See  Cursive Strokes Worksheet  

See  Cursive Patterns for Beginners Worksheet

Blank Handwriting Sheets (Ruled)

cursive writing a

See Blank Handwriting Worksheets

Slant Guides

cursive writing a

See  Printable Slant Guides (52-Deg, 60-Deg,68-Deg) for Cursive Writing

Sandpaper Letters

cursive writing a

See  Cursive Sandpaper Letters Printable Template

Miscellaneous

cursive writing a

Share this:

IMAGES

  1. Cursive A

    cursive writing a

  2. Alphabet In Cursive Writing 7DE

    cursive writing a

  3. Printable Cursive Letter

    cursive writing a

  4. Alphabet Printable Cursive Writing Practice Sheets

    cursive writing a

  5. Cursive 'A' worksheets to practice capital, upper and lowercase letter

    cursive writing a

  6. Cursive Handwriting Practice Letter A Through Z Uppercase Lowercase 358

    cursive writing a

VIDEO

  1. CURSIVE WRITING

  2. Cursive Writing For Beginners Writing Small Cursive Letters Cursive Handwriting Practice ABC Song

  3. How to Write Cursive Writing Practice

  4. Cursive Writing Practice For Beginer

  5. cursive writing practice

  6. Cursive Writing For Children

COMMENTS

  1. Cursive a

    How Do You Write a Lowercase Cursive “a”? Being the first letter of the alphabet, learning cursive writing by mastering the cursive “a” is how most people begin their journey. The good news is that of all the different cursive letters, the cursive “a” is one of the easiest to master.

  2. How to Write in Cursive (with Pictures)

    Creating Lowercase Cursive Letters. 1. Practice “a." Make a curved stroke upward from the bottom line to the dotted line. Then, do a rock backward to form the slanted “o” shape of the “a. 2. Write “c.”. Do an upward stroke from the bottom to the dotted line that is curved to the right. Rock backward ...

  3. Free Cursive Writing Worksheets (PDF)

    Strokes and Patterns See Cursive Strokes Worksheet See Cursive Patterns for Beginners Worksheet Blank Handwriting Sheets (Ruled) See Blank Handwriting Worksheets Slant Guides See Printable Slant Guides (52-Deg, 60-Deg,68-Deg) for Cursive Writing Sandpaper Letters See Cursive Sandpaper Letters Printable Template Miscellaneous

  4. Cursive A

    Cursive letter A is simple and easy to learn with our printable handwriting pages. Find more letter a worksheets here for print handwriting, beginning letter sounds and more. Cursive A Students learn to write the letter a in cursive in both uppercase (capital) form and lowercase form.

  5. Cursive Writing

    Cursive Writing - Letters (A to Z) | For Beginners + Worksheets to Improve Handwriting Charm 355K subscribers Subscribe Subscribed 20K 1.3M views 3 years ago #learning #howto T I M E S T A M...