Cursive letters / P
Cursive P: capital and lowercase p
To write cursive P, start above the midline with a short flick up to the headline, slant a stem down to the baseline, then go back up and swing a bowl right that comes back to the stem near the midline. Lowercase p rises from the baseline to the midline, loops below the baseline, and closes a bowl on the baseline.
Specimen
Capital P and lowercase p in traditional school cursive.
Copy and paste cursive P
Paste-ready script letters for a bio, caption, or text: 𝒫 𝓅 𝓟 𝓹. More looks in the cursive generator.
Copy box
Script
𝒫𝓅
Bold script
𝓟𝓹
Italic
𝑃𝑝
Bold italic
𝑷𝒑
This is Unicode text, not a handwriting font. It will look different in every app.
Write
How to write P in cursive
Capital P
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Capital P, step by step
- Start on the left, a little above the midline. Flick a short stroke up and right to the headline.
- Slant a straight stem down to the baseline.
- Go back up the stem most of the way to the headline. Swing up and right into one bowl that curves down and back, stopping just short of the stem a little below the midline.
The whole capital P in one read
Capital P starts on the left, a little above the midline. Flick a short stroke up and to the right until it touches the headline. From that point, slant a straight stem down to the baseline and stop. Go back up the stem most of the way to the headline, then swing up and right into one rounded bowl that curves down and back left, ending just short of the stem a little below the midline. The bowl fills only the top half of the letter. There is no second bowl and no leg. The pen stops where the bowl comes back to the stem, so capital P stands alone and the next letter begins with its own stroke.
Lowercase p
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Lowercase p, step by step
- Start on the baseline. Undercurve up and right to the midline.
- Slant a straight stem down through the baseline to the descender line.
- Loop back up on the left of the stem, crossing it at the baseline.
- Climb into a clockwise bowl that touches the midline and closes on the baseline. Slide right and curve up to exit.
The whole lowercase p in one read
Lowercase p starts on the baseline. Make an undercurve up and to the right until it reaches the midline. From that top point, slant a long straight stem down through the baseline to the descender line. Turn at the bottom and come back up on the left side of the stem, making a narrow loop that crosses the stem at the baseline. Keep climbing on the right into a rounded bowl that touches the midline, curves down clockwise, and lands on the baseline against the stem. Slide right along the baseline and curve up to leave. The top of p never rises above the midline.
Zaner-Bloser vs D’Nealian
Join
Joining p to other letters
p into o
After the bowl closes, the p exit runs along the baseline and then climbs straight into the left side of the o. It rides up that side to the top of the oval, just under the midline, and the o circles counterclockwise back down and around until it closes. The join sits low, so there is no gap between the bowl of the p and the round o. Both letters stay under the midline.
p into e
From the baseline under the bowl, the p exit makes a shallow rise to the right and flows straight into the loop of the e. That loop turns left near the midline, drops down the back, and finishes with a short upswing on the right. Because the connector is low and flat, the e loop starts close to the p. If you climb all the way to the midline first, the e grows too tall.
p into q
The p exit climbs into the left side of the q oval, and the pair ends up with two descender loops side by side. The p loop hangs from a stem on the left of its bowl. The q loop hangs from a stem on the right of its oval, and it closes at the baseline before a small exit to the right. Keep both loops the same length so pq sits evenly below the line.
Watch for
Common cursive p mistakes
Flipping p into q
Lowercase p and q are mirror images, and both hang a loop below the baseline. In p the stem comes first and the bowl sits to its right, drawn clockwise. In q the oval comes first, drawn counterclockwise, and the stem drops on its right side. If you start with a round shape and then add the stem, you have written q. Always begin p with the baseline undercurve and the long stem.
Writing b by going up instead of down
Lowercase b and p both have a stem and a round part on the right, so they are easy to flip. The b stem climbs to the headline with a loop at the top. The p stem drops below the baseline with a loop at the bottom, and its top stops at the midline. If your stem reaches toward the headline, you have written b. Watch the midline: nothing in p goes above it.
Adding a leg so P becomes R
Capital P and capital R share the same flick, stem, and top bowl. The difference is the finish. In P the bowl comes back to the stem and the pen stops. In R the bowl ends in a small curl at the midline and a leg kicks down to the baseline. If you add any stroke after the bowl of capital P, it reads as R. Lift as soon as the bowl gets back to the stem.
Free cursive P 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 P questions
How do you write a capital P in cursive?
Capital P starts on the left, a little above the midline. Flick a short stroke up and to the right until it touches the headline. From that point, slant a straight stem down to the baseline and stop.
How do you write a lowercase p in cursive?
Lowercase p starts on the baseline. Make an undercurve up and to the right until it reaches the midline. From that top point, slant a long straight stem down through the baseline to the descender line.
Does cursive capital P connect to the next letter?
No. Capital P ends on its own, so lift the pen and start the next letter with its normal entry stroke.
What is the most common mistake with cursive p?
Flipping p into q. Lowercase p and q are mirror images, and both hang a loop below the baseline. In p the stem comes first and the bowl sits to its right, drawn clockwise.
Can I copy and paste a cursive P?
Yes. The copy box on this page gives you Unicode script letters (Pp) 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 P worksheet on this page.
Is cursive p the same in Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian?
D'Nealian p is a stick stem. Zaner-Bloser p is a looped stem. The top touches the midline in both. Uppercase P: Zaner-Bloser enters from the midline; D'Nealian starts at the headline.