How to write a cursive u

Forming the cursive u

u versus n is the most useful discrimination drill in lowercase cursive: write a row alternating the two and let the child feel the pencil dipping under in one and arching over in the other. Lead-in is an undercurve, exit leaves from the baseline.

Start: On the baseline, at the left

1. Undercurve lead-in rising from the baseline to the midline
2. Retrace straight back down to the baseline
3. Swing up to the midline again to build the second stem
4. Retrace straight back down to the baseline
5. Undercurve exit at the baseline, swinging away toward the next letter

How it joins

The cursive u finishes on the baseline with an undercurve, which is exactly where the next letter begins. That is why cursive can be written without lifting the pencil: the exit of one letter is the entry of the next. Practise u inside a word rather than on its own as soon as the shape is reliable, because the join is the part that actually needs practice.

Common mistakes

• The letter arches over at the top instead of dipping at the bottom, and u reads as n.
• A third stem is added and u reads as w, worth noting that w also changes its exit, finishing at the midline where u finishes at the baseline.
• The retraces are skipped, so the two stems splay apart and the letter widens.
• The two stems come out at different widths, which is very visible in words like 'usual'.

Letters that move the same way

Retraced stem letters: An undercurve lead-in straight up to the midline or the top line, then a return journey back down over exactly the same line. The whole family lives or dies on whether the child retraces on the line rather than beside it.

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Print first, then cursive

Cursive is usually introduced once print handwriting is automatic, typically around third grade. If a child is still thinking about how to form printed letters, adding a second script makes both harder. Theprinted u page covers that form, andwhen cursive is usually taughtexplains why the timing varies so much.