Cursive A
How to write uppercase A and lowercase a in cursive, one stroke at a time.
Cursive a is the first oval letter most people learn, and it sets up c, d, g, o and q. The lowercase is an oval with a short stem on its right side. The capital A here keeps the pointed shape of the printed letter, drawn with a hook at the start and a crossbar that curls in from the left and flows into the exit tail. Both forms finish with an exit tail — the lowercase on the baseline, the capital at the midline — so a joins smoothly into any letter that follows.
- Stroke family
- Downcurve (oval) letters
- Height
- a is a short letter — it stays between the baseline and the midline. a and the other short letters
- Joins the next letter
- Lowercase: yes, from the baseline. Capital: yes. The baseline join a uses
How to write a lowercase a in cursive
Start at the midline; finish at the baseline, with an exit tail up to the midline. One continuous stroke.
- Start at the midline. Curve back to the left and down (counter-clockwise) to the baseline, then round up the right side toward where you began.
- Without lifting the pen, retrace straight down the right side of the oval to the baseline.
- Finish with an undercurve that swings up to the midline — this tail is what connects to the next letter.
Trace cursive a on screen with a finger or mouse — the board tells you if you start in the wrong place or go the wrong way.
Lowercase cursive a — numbers mark where each part of the stroke begins
Capital cursive A — numbers mark where each part of the stroke begins
How to write a capital A in cursive
Start at the baseline, on the left, with a small hook; finish at the midline, with an exit tail. Capital A ends with an exit stroke, so it joins the lowercase letter that follows without lifting the pen. A beside the other capitals that join
- Start on the baseline at the left with a small hook, then sweep along and up to the right in one rising stroke to the top line.
- From the top, slant straight down the right side to the baseline.
- Lift the pen and add the crossbar: begin with a small curl on the left, run a level stroke through the middle of the letter, and carry it on past the right side into an exit tail at the midline.
Common mistakes with cursive A
- Leaving a gap at the top of the oval, which makes the letter read as a u.
- Starting the retrace stroke too far left so a second bump appears and the letter looks like an o followed by an i.
- Forgetting the exit tail — a lowercase a without its tail cannot connect and the word breaks apart.
Tips that help
- Say "around, down, out" as you write: around the oval, down the stem, out to the next letter.
- Keep the oval slightly tilted to the right so its slant matches the stem.
Easy to mistake for o
a closes its oval and comes down to the baseline before the next letter. o leaves from the top and joins along the midline. Cursive o
Can you tell a from o at a glance? Take the reading test · Print a comparison practice sheet
Practice words with a
Once the letter is comfortable on its own, write it inside words — that is where the joins happen. Watch how the exit tail of a rises to meet the next letter.
Want different words? Type a spelling list into the generator and print your own a sheet (letters A–Z and numbers, up to 24 lines of any length, US Letter or A4), or copy more words that use a from the word lists.
Free cursive A worksheet
Capital A and lowercase a: a model to copy, grey letters to write over, dotted letters to trace, two practice words, and blank rows to finish on your own. Prints on one US Letter page.
Cursive A practice sheet
Uppercase A · lowercase a · apple · and
Name ______________________ Date __________
Capital A
Lowercase a
Together
Words
On your own
cursivealphabet.pro — free cursive practice sheets
a and its stroke family
Downcurve (oval) letters begin at the midline with a counter-clockwise curve that rounds down and back up: a, d, g, o and q close the oval, c leaves it open. Master that curve once and you have six letters.
Families are also the order to learn in, rather than A to Z: the beginner’s guide covers when a is usually taught and the four strokes every letter is built from.
Cursive A questions
How do you write a lowercase a in cursive?
Start at the midline, curve counter-clockwise around to make an oval, come back up the right side, retrace down it to the baseline, and finish with a short tail up to the midline. It is one continuous stroke.
How do you write a capital A in cursive?
Cursive capital A here keeps the pointed shape of the printed letter: a small hook on the baseline, a rising stroke to the top line, a slant down the right side, then a crossbar added afterwards that curls in from the left and runs into the exit tail. Some handwriting programs teach an enlarged lowercase a instead.
Does cursive capital A connect to the next letter?
Yes. The crossbar of capital A runs on into an exit tail at the midline, so it joins directly into the lowercase letter that follows, as in "Anna" or "April".
What are some good words to practise cursive a with?
Good practice words for cursive a are apple, and, alphabet, around and amazing. Close the oval of a each time before you move on; an oval left open at speed is the usual way it stops reading as a. Watch the height too: a should stop at the midline, level with the short letters either side of it. The practice sheet on this page rules the first two, apple and and; the worksheet generator will rule the rest.
Cursive Alphabet — cursive A