Cursive Z
How to write uppercase Z and lowercase z in cursive, one stroke at a time.
Cursive z is the letter that surprises people most: an overcurve like the start of n, a small hitch at the baseline, and a loop below the line. Nothing about it resembles the printed zigzag. The capital Z, by contrast, keeps the zigzag, with a curl at the start and a level stroke at the end. Both forms connect to the next letter.
- Stroke family
- Overcurve letters
- Height
- z is a descender letter — part of it drops below the baseline. z and the other descender letters
- Joins the next letter
- Lowercase: yes, from the baseline. Capital: yes. The baseline join z uses
How to write a lowercase z in cursive
Start at the midline; finish at the baseline, with an exit tail. One continuous stroke.
- Start at the midline with a small hook and curve up and over to the right.
- Slant down toward the baseline and, just above it, make a tiny hitch: flick out to the left and back, then carry on down.
- Continue down into the descender space and loop to the left.
- Come back up to meet the stem just below the baseline, and finish with an undercurve to the midline.
Trace cursive z 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 z — numbers mark where each part of the stroke begins
Capital cursive Z — numbers mark where each part of the stroke begins
How to write a capital Z in cursive
Start on the left, with a small curl; finish at the baseline, with a level stroke to the right. Capital Z ends with an exit stroke, so it joins the lowercase letter that follows without lifting the pen. Z beside the other capitals that join
- Start on the left with a small curl, rise to the top line and draw a level stroke across the top to the right.
- Slant down to the bottom-left corner on the baseline.
- Draw a level stroke along the baseline to the right to finish the letter.
Common mistakes with cursive Z
- Writing a printed zigzag with joins, which does not connect cleanly at either end.
- Skipping the small hitch, which leaves a plain loop that reads as a y without its bowl.
- Making the hitch too large — it is a small flick, not a second hump.
Tips that help
- Say "over, hitch, loop" for the three parts.
- z is rare, so practise it inside real words: "zoo", "lazy", "puzzle".
Easy to mistake for g
Below the line they match. Above it, g is a closed oval; z is a small zigzag with no oval at all. Cursive g
Can you tell z from g at a glance? Take the reading test · Print a comparison practice sheet
Cursive Z and z, then and now
If you learned cursive from an older relative, or you are reading old handwriting, you may know these letters from the Palmer Method, the business hand that Zaner-Bloser eventually replaced in American schools. Here are the two side by side.
Palmer letters from A. N. Palmer’s The Palmer Method of Business Writing, a public-domain scan on Wikimedia Commons.
“Why is the "z" sometimes written like that in cursive? What is it called?”
Which one to use
In older handwriting, a capital with a 3-shaped top and a loop below the line is a Z. The lowercase z looks less like its printed form than almost any other letter, so it is worth a line of practice even if you keep the zigzag capital.
Where Palmer, Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian came from, and how their letters differ
Practice words with z
Once the letter is comfortable on its own, write it inside words — that is where the joins happen. Watch how the exit tail of z rises to meet the next letter.
Want different words? Type a spelling list into the generator and print your own z sheet (letters A–Z and numbers, up to 24 lines of any length, US Letter or A4), or copy more words that use z from the word lists.
z is among the least common letters in English, so it rarely comes up by chance. A pangram puts z into every line you write, which is the quickest way to keep it in practice.
Free cursive Z worksheet
Capital Z and lowercase z: 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 Z practice sheet
Uppercase Z · lowercase z · zip · zoo
Name ______________________ Date __________
Capital Z
Lowercase z
Together
Words
On your own
cursivealphabet.pro — free cursive practice sheets
z and its stroke family
Overcurve letters begin with an arch that comes over the top from the left: m, n, v, x, y and z. The hump is the whole skill — keep it round, not pointed.
Families are also the order to learn in, rather than A to Z: the beginner’s guide covers when z is usually taught and the four strokes every letter is built from.
Cursive Z questions
How do you write a lowercase z in cursive?
Overcurve up to the midline, slant down and make a small hitch just above the baseline, drop into a loop below the line that swings left, come back up to the stem and exit with a tail. It does not look like a printed z.
How do you write a capital Z in cursive?
Start at the top-left with a small curl, draw a level stroke across the top, slant down to the bottom-left, and draw a level stroke along the baseline to the right. It keeps the printed zigzag, and that last stroke leads into the next letter.
Why does cursive z have a loop under the line?
Because the printed zigzag cannot be joined without lifting the pen. The loop replaces the bottom stroke of the printed letter and gives the pen a path back up to the next letter.
What are some good words to practise cursive z with?
Good practice words for cursive z are zip, zoo, zebra, zero and zigzag. Keep the arch of z rounded as the word speeds up; the top of an overcurve is the first thing to turn into a point. Watch the tail too: z should drop a full space below the baseline and come back up without cutting into the next letter. The practice sheet on this page rules the first two, zip and zoo; the worksheet generator will rule the rest.
Cursive Alphabet — cursive Z