Cursive J

How to use the cursive J practice sheet

1. Under Letters, choose Capital J and lowercase j, Capital J only, or Lowercase j only.
2. Under Line size, pick the size that matches your child’s grade: Extra large (pre-K to K), Large (K to 1st), Medium (2nd) or Small (3rd and up).
3. Set Rows to trace the capital and Rows to trace the lowercase. Each can be 0 to 4 rows.
4. Set Rows of letter pairs (joins) from 0 to 3 rows.
5. Choose how many Practice words to include, from Off to 8 words. You can also type up to 3 of your own words in Your own words (optional).
6. Set Blank rows to write on from 0 to 6.
7. Pick the Tracing letters style (light gray or dotted outline) and the Lines style. Choose Color if you want blue and red lines.
8. Turn the Big model of the letter at the top checkbox on or off, and turn the Show descender line checkbox on or off.
9. Set the paper size (US Letter or A4) and change the Title on the sheet if you like.
10. Select Print or save as PDF to print the sheet or save it as a PDF file.

The preview updates as you change each setting. New worksheet makes a different sheet with the same settings, and Reset settings returns everything to the defaults. The address bar stores your settings, so a bookmarked or shared link opens the same sheet.

How do you write a capital J in cursive?

The capital J is best learned by tracing the gray model on the sheet and comparing it with the chart your child’s school uses, since stroke directions differ between US handwriting programs. In the font used here, the finished capital J reaches the top line and its tail goes below the baseline, down to the descender line. The sheet does not describe the strokes, so use the chart to learn how the letter is formed.

How do you write a lowercase j in cursive?

Trace the gray model of the lowercase j and check it against your school’s chart. The finished lowercase j is a small letter. Its body sits between the midline and the baseline, its dot sits between the midline and the top line, and its tail goes below the baseline. Because the dot sits above the letter like an i’s dot, it is easy to forget, so look for it on each copy.

What does the cursive letter j look like?

The cursive j has two forms on this sheet, a capital J and a lowercase j. The capital is a tall letter that reaches the top line and drops below the baseline. The lowercase is a small letter with a dot above it and a tail below the baseline. Both forms have a descender, which is the part that goes below the line, so they reach the optional descender line at the bottom of the sheet when that line is shown.

Does it show the stroke order with arrows?

No. The sheet does not show stroke order or arrows. Stroke order and direction differ between handwriting programs, such as Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian, and a font cannot show them correctly. The first dark letter in each row is only a model to copy, so compare it with the stroke chart your school uses.

Can I print only the capital or only the lowercase letter?

Yes. Under Letters, choose Capital J only or Lowercase j only. You can also set the tracing rows for each letter separately, so you can give more practice to the letter your child finds harder.

How do the letter pairs and practice words connect?

The letter pairs row shows two-letter pieces that include j next to a neighbor in a word. For j these are ja, ju, je, nj, jo and aj. The default row shows four of them, ja, ju, je and nj, each once as a dark model and once as a gray copy. In the big model row and the trace rows, the letters are placed one by one and are not connected. In the word rows, the letters join the way the cursive font connects them.