How to Write a Cursive S: 3 Calligraphy Tips (2024)

Learning cursive is learning an entirely new writing system. While it has many similarities to the letters in print writing, cursive is also quite different—and the cursive s is one of the letters that frequently throw people off.

In this article, we’ll show you how to write an uppercase cursive s and lowercase s in cursive. We’ll even get a little inventive and show you how to write a fancy s!

What Does a Cursive S Look Like?

If you want to learn cursive, it’s a good idea to study exactly what cursive letters look like. Cursive s looks much like its print counterpart in some ways, and very different in others.

A capital s in cursive looks quite a bit like the print s; even if you don’t know cursive, you can probably recognize the letter. One of the biggest differences is that tell-tale hook off to the left, which is used to connect the capital s to the next letter in a word.

The lowercase cursive s is less recognizable if you’re not familiar with cursive. It almost looks like a little sail, with a line extending up and to the right to connect to the next letter. Because cursive is meant to be written faster than print, understanding how the letters connect can help you be a faster writer!

How to Make an Uppercase S In Cursive

Uppercase cursive s is a little easier to parse, so let’s start by learning how to write one.

Use lined paper. This will help you keep the shape of your s intact, even when it gets loopy.

Start with your pencil on the bottom of a pair of lines.

Draw a diagonal , somewhat curved line reaching toward the top of the pair of lines.

Draw a little loop that will take your pen direction back toward the bottom of the page.

Cross back over the first line while drawing a soft little semi-circle—here you can see the shape of a print s.

Continue past where you’d normally stop if you were drawing a print s, crossing over your diagonal line.

Draw a little hook off to the right, which you’ll use to connect the s to the next letter.

How to Make a Lowercase S in Cursive

Now let’s try a lowercase s. Though it looks a lot like a little sail, you want to learn to draw it in the correct order so that you can keep your speed up.

Draw a little ski-jump shape that goes up halfway between your two lines.

Draw half of a teardrop shape going back down to the bottom line, connecting it to your ski-jump going up.

Without picking up your pen, draw a line extending to the side to connect to the next letter.

Cursive S Variations

One of the fun things about cursive is adding a little personal flair. Cursive can be quite beautiful on its own, and adding a little hint of calligraphy can take it to the next level. Take a look at some of these calligraphy-inspired cursive s variations!

3 Key Tips for Making a Fancy S in Cursive

Still struggling to write a great capital s in cursive or lowercase s in cursive? These tips will help you master this letter!

Don’t Pick Up Your Pen

Cursive is meant to be written quickly and in a more streamlined fashion than print, so don’t pick up your pen from the paper as you’re writing. Though some letters may require you to pick up your pen to dot or cross them, that’s not true of s, so keep that pen on the paper!

Remember That Cursive Is Connected

Cursive letters are almost always connected together to make writing quicker. Both lowercase and capital s in cursive have lines connected them to the next letter. Don’t forget those lines, or your s won’t look quite right.

Make Letters Your Own

Though it might seem like cursive has to be very accurate to be legible, you actually have some leeway to make your s your own. If you prefer your lowercase s to look more like a print s, that’s okay! Or maybe you like a little embellishment to make the capital cursive s look even fancier. It’s up to you—as long as the basic form is there, people will be able to read your writing.

What’s Next?

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There's more than one way to write an s—and there's more than one way to write, too! Check out this list of types of writing styles to give you all the info on different ways to write effectively.