Cursive letters / N
Cursive N: capital and lowercase n
To write cursive N, start the capital with a small hook under the headline, slant down to the baseline, retrace, roll over one arch to the headline, and come down into an undercurve that joins the next letter. Lowercase n is the same at half height: a hook under the midline, two downstrokes, one rounded hump, and a short exit.
Specimen
Capital N and lowercase n in traditional school cursive.
Copy and paste cursive N
Paste-ready script letters for a bio, caption, or text: 𝒩 𝓃 𝓝 𝓷. More looks in the cursive generator.
Copy box
Script
𝒩𝓃
Bold script
𝓝𝓷
Italic
𝑁𝑛
Bold italic
𝑵𝒏
This is Unicode text, not a handwriting font. It will look different in every app.
Write
How to write N in cursive
Capital N
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Capital N, step by step
- Start on the left just below the headline with a small hook that curves up to the headline.
- Slant a straight downstroke to the baseline.
- Retrace up, roll over one wide arch that reaches the headline, and slant down to the baseline.
- Finish with an undercurve that turns up and joins the next letter.
The whole capital N in one read
Capital N starts on the left, a little below the headline, with a small hook that curves up to the headline. From the top of the hook, slant a straight downstroke to the baseline. Retrace up that same line, then roll over one wide arch that reaches the headline, and slant down to the baseline on the right. Finish with an undercurve that turns up to the right. That makes two downstrokes and a single arch. The undercurve at the end carries straight into the next lowercase letter, so capital N joins in this style, as in Ni and No.
Lowercase n
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Lowercase n, step by step
- Start just below the midline with a small hook that curves up to the midline, then slant down to the baseline.
- Retrace up the same line and roll over one rounded hump at the midline.
- Slant down to the baseline and end with a short undercurve.
The whole lowercase n in one read
Lowercase n starts just below the midline with a small hook that curves up to the midline. Slant down to the baseline, retrace up that same line, roll over one rounded hump at the midline, and slant down to the baseline again. End with a short undercurve to the right. Two downstrokes, one hump. The top of the hump sits level with the top of the hook. When n follows another letter, the incoming exit replaces the hook and climbs straight into the first slant, as in an and in.
Zaner-Bloser vs D’Nealian
Join
Joining n to other letters
n into i
n's second downstroke reaches the baseline and its undercurve climbs straight back to the midline for i. At the top it stops in a sharp point, and i's downstroke comes back down the same line. So the pair has one round turn, n's hump, followed by one pointed turn, the top of i. Keep that contrast. A rounded top on i makes a second hump, and ni turns into m. Dot the i last, above the midline.
n into e
The exit from n rises from the baseline and turns back to the left partway up to form e's loop. The loop reaches the midline, level with n's single hump, then e comes down to the baseline and exits. The join is short because e begins low: there is no climb to the midline and back down first. If the loop closes into a point, ne loses its e and reads as ni without a dot.
n into o
o starts at the top of its oval, so n's exit has to climb on a long slant all the way to the midline before the oval begins. From that point, go left and down around o counterclockwise and back up to close at the top. The rising connector runs close beside the left side of the oval, so give it room. The top of o should sit level with n's hump. Turn the connector over too early and o starts from its side and stays open.
Watch for
Common cursive n mistakes
An extra hump
Lowercase n has one hump. Add a second and it becomes m. This slip is common in words like any or noon, where several humped letters and ovals sit close together. The quick check is the number of downstrokes on the baseline: n has two, m has three. Say the pattern while writing: hook, down, back up, over, down, exit.
Pointed top, rounded bottom
n is round at the top and sharp at the bottom, because the second stroke retraces straight up the first slant before rolling over. If you round the bottom instead and bring the stroke to a point at the midline, the letter flips upside down into u. In a word like nun, the two letters must look like opposites: n round on top, u round on the bottom.
Printing the capital
A printed N has three straight strokes: up, diagonal down, up again. Writers who carry that habit into cursive add a third stroke after the arch, which turns the capital into something like a printed N with a curl or a squeezed capital M. Cursive capital N has only two downstrokes joined by one round arch at the headline, followed by an undercurve that runs into the next letter.
Free cursive N worksheet
Sheets use Playwrite US Trad, a traditional US school cursive.
Free, no sign-up. The PDF builds in this browser.
Practicing more than one letter? Get all 26 in the Complete Cursive Workbook, $9.
Cursive N questions
How do you write a capital N in cursive?
Capital N starts on the left, a little below the headline, with a small hook that curves up to the headline. From the top of the hook, slant a straight downstroke to the baseline. Retrace up that same line, then roll over one wide arch that reaches the headline, and slant down to the baseline on the right.
How do you write a lowercase n in cursive?
Lowercase n starts just below the midline with a small hook that curves up to the midline. Slant down to the baseline, retrace up that same line, roll over one rounded hump at the midline, and slant down to the baseline again. End with a short undercurve to the right.
Does cursive capital N connect to the next letter?
Yes. In traditional cursive the capital N carries its last stroke into the next lowercase letter, so a name that starts with N is written without lifting after the capital.
What is the most common mistake with cursive n?
An extra hump. Lowercase n has one hump. Add a second and it becomes m.
Can I copy and paste a cursive N?
Yes. The copy box on this page gives you Unicode script letters (Nn) that paste into bios, captions, and messages. They look like cursive but are a font-style symbol, not handwriting. For a printed sheet, use the free N worksheet on this page.
Is cursive n the same in Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian?
In D'Nealian the hump of capital N reaches the headline, while Zaner-Bloser keeps it just under it. The N shown here touches the headline, so lower the hump slightly to match a Zaner-Bloser chart.