Cursive letters / X
Cursive X: capital and lowercase x
Capital cursive X starts just below the headline with a small hook, curves down to the baseline, and turns up to the right to join the next letter. A separate straight slash runs from the headline on the right down to the baseline on the left. Lowercase x is the same two strokes at half height, starting at the midline.
Specimen
Capital X and lowercase x in traditional school cursive.
Copy and paste cursive X
Paste-ready script letters for a bio, caption, or text: 𝒳 𝓍 𝓧 𝔁. More looks in the cursive generator.
Copy box
Script
𝒳𝓍
Bold script
𝓧𝔁
Italic
𝑋𝑥
Bold italic
𝑿𝒙
This is Unicode text, not a handwriting font. It will look different in every app.
Write
How to write X in cursive
Capital X
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Capital X, step by step
- Start just below the headline with a small hook that curls over to the right.
- Bring the stroke down on a slant to the right, bowing slightly, to the baseline.
- Turn up to the right at the baseline. This exit joins the next letter.
- Lift. Draw a straight slash from the headline on the right down to the baseline on the left, crossing the first stroke at about the midline.
The whole capital X in one read
Capital X is two strokes: a curved one and a straight one. Start just below the headline with a small hook that curls over to the right. From the hook, bring the stroke down toward the baseline on a slant to the right, bowing slightly so it looks like a tall, gentle backward curve. At the baseline, turn up to the right. That turn is the exit, and in Xe, Xt and Xn it flows straight into the next letter. The second stroke is a lift and a straight slash from the headline at the upper right down to the baseline at the lower left. It crosses the curved stroke at about the midline.
Lowercase x
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Lowercase x, step by step
- Start at the midline with a small hook that curls over to the right.
- Slant down to the baseline and curve up to the right into the exit.
- Lift. Draw a straight slash from the midline on the right down to the baseline on the left, crossing the first stroke about halfway down.
The whole lowercase x in one read
Lowercase x is also a curved stroke plus a straight slash, fitted between the midline and the baseline. At the start of a word, begin at the midline with a small hook that curls over to the right. Slant down to the baseline and curve up to the right into the exit. Then lift and add the slash: a straight line from the midline on the right down to the baseline on the left, crossing the first stroke about halfway down. Only the curved stroke joins other letters. The slash touches nothing but x. Inside a word, the previous letter's connector arrives at the hook, as in ox and six.
Join
Joining x to other letters
x into e
In xe, the curved stroke of x reaches the baseline and its exit swings up to the right and straight into e's loop. The loop is small and sits under the midline, and e then rounds down to the baseline and ends with a flick. x's slash stays to the left of the e: its lower end lands on the baseline beneath the x, not inside the loop. Drawn through e, the slash would look like a mark crossing out the e.
x into t
In xt, x's exit climbs from the baseline past the midline to the top of t, about halfway to the headline. t's stem then retraces straight down to the baseline and flicks out. The pair ends up with two separate crossing marks: x's diagonal slash, running from upper right to lower left, and t's short level bar near the midline. Keep them different. A slanted bar on t, or a level slash on x, makes the pair hard to read, as in next.
x into n
In xn, x's exit climbs to the midline and rolls over the top into n's first round hump. n then drops to the baseline, makes its second hump, and ends with a flick. So the pair shows one hooked stroke with a slash through it, then two humps. Because x's exit and n's first hump overlap, the start of n sits very close to x. Give the exit a little room so the slash of x does not run into n's first hump.
Watch for
Common cursive x mistakes
Starting with a hump turns x into a crossed n
Lowercase x starts at the midline with a small hook, not a full hump that climbs up from the baseline. If you start with an upstroke from the baseline and roll over the top like n, the first stroke becomes a hump, and after the slash the letter looks like n with a line through it. Keep the start short: a small hook at the midline, then straight down on the slant.
Forgetting the slash leaves a stray stroke
The curved stroke of x on its own is only a hook, a slant, and an exit. Without the slash, readers see an undotted i or the tail end of an n, so six turns into something like sii and box loses its last letter. The slash is a separate stroke, so it is easy to skip in a long word. Check each x before you move on, just as you would check each t for its bar.
Slash running the wrong way
The slash on x runs from the upper right down to the lower left, crossing the curved stroke. If you draw it from the upper left to the lower right, it runs alongside the curved stroke instead of crossing it, and the letter looks like a thick, doubled line with no X shape at all. The same goes for capital X: its slash starts at the headline on the right and ends on the baseline at the left.
Free cursive X 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 X questions
How do you write a capital X in cursive?
Capital X is two strokes: a curved one and a straight one. Start just below the headline with a small hook that curls over to the right. From the hook, bring the stroke down toward the baseline on a slant to the right, bowing slightly so it looks like a tall, gentle backward curve.
How do you write a lowercase x in cursive?
Lowercase x is also a curved stroke plus a straight slash, fitted between the midline and the baseline. At the start of a word, begin at the midline with a small hook that curls over to the right. Slant down to the baseline and curve up to the right into the exit.
Does cursive capital X connect to the next letter?
Yes. In traditional cursive the capital X carries its last stroke into the next lowercase letter, so a name that starts with X is written without lifting after the capital.
What is the most common mistake with cursive x?
Starting with a hump turns x into a crossed n. Lowercase x starts at the midline with a small hook, not a full hump that climbs up from the baseline. If you start with an upstroke from the baseline and roll over the top like n, the first stroke becomes a hump, and after the slash the letter looks like n with a line through it.
Can I copy and paste a cursive X?
Yes. The copy box on this page gives you Unicode script letters (Xx) 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 X worksheet on this page.