Cursive U
Lowercase u is two downstrokes joined by a curve underneath — a cup with a tail. Both forms numbered below, with a printable sheet and the second-stroke check that keeps u from blurring into w.
Cursive capital U
- Curve in at the top line.
- Down to the baseline.
- Sweep under in a bowl, back up to the top line.
- Down again to the baseline, exit right.
Lowercase u in cursive
- Downstroke from the middle line.
- Curve under to the right — the cup.
- Rise back to the middle line.
- Second downstroke, then exit right.
Watch for: the second wall rounding into another cup — the writer has made a w nobody ordered.
Trace and write — uuuuu
Cursive capital U trace — UUU
Write on your own
PNG version — the exact file Download PNG saves
The cup and its second wall
The lowercase u is the straight-line family's curve lesson: downstroke, then a rounded swing under (the cup) rising back to the middle line, then a second downstroke and exit. Its subtlety is in that second wall — it must mirror the first in height and slant, or the letter lists to one side. And its neighbor-confusion is with w, which is two cups, not one: writers on autopilot sometimes round the second downstroke into a second swing and discover they have written w with no intention to. Count walls: u has two, w has three.
The capital U can be built two ways — the print-like twin stems with an under-curve, or the cursive-traditional bowl: curve in at the top, down, sweep under and up, then down again to the baseline with a tail. The cursive bowl version keeps the letter in the script's family and connects the eye to the lowercase; the stem version is easier for tired hands. Both appear in American classrooms — this sheet teaches the bowl, with the stems drawn in one continuous road.
Capital U in cursive
The cursive capital U legitimately comes in two versions, and both appear in American classrooms. The cursive-traditional bowl runs curve in at the top line, down to the baseline, sweep under and back up to the top, then down again into the exit tail — a continuous road with a valley. The plainer twin-stem version keeps two uprights joined by the under-curve, closer to print but still drawn without lifting.
Either way, the letter is one road, which is the real difference from print U's stick-stick-curve assembly. The version worth checking in student work is the second wall: it must mirror the first in height and slant, or the letter lists to one side. Trace against marked slant lines until both walls stand at the same angle — the valley does the curving, never the walls.
Teaching tips
Count the walls
One cup, two walls. A third wall or a rounded second downstroke means w snuck in — writers genuinely do this on autopilot at speed.
Cup is round, walls are straight
The underneath curve is a half-circle; the walls are straight on the slant. If the walls curve inward, the cup becomes a saucer and the letter loses height.
Same exit as everything else
The second downstroke exits right with the standard small tail — a u that skips the tail dead-ends before v, its next-of-kin.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a capital U in cursive?
Curve in at the top line, down to the baseline, sweep under in a bowl and back up to the top line, then down again to the baseline, finishing with the exit tail.
How do you write a lowercase u in cursive?
Downstroke from the middle line, curve under to the right and back up to the middle line (the cup), then a second downstroke to the baseline and exit right.
What's the difference between cursive u and w?
Cup count: u is one cup (two walls), w is two cups (three walls). At speed, rounding u's second wall into another cup is how accidental w's happen.
Why does my u look like a saucer?
The walls leaned inward — usually the slant drifting between strokes. Trace over marked slant lines until both walls stand at the same angle; the cup does the curving, not the walls.
Why are there two ways to write cursive capital U?
Both are standard in American classrooms: the traditional bowl version sweeps under in one continuous curve, and a plainer twin-stem version stays closer to print. Neither is wrong — match the school's style and stay consistent.