R in Cursive: How to Write It
Lowercase r is the letter people turn into n. It rises to the midline and ends with a small roof or hook, not a second full arch. Keep the hook shorter than you think.
r
The letterforms on this page are rendered in Cedarville Cursive, an open-source font — school styles like Zaner-Bloser or D'Nealian differ in details. Treat the steps as the source of truth for stroke order; let the sample show you one possible shape.
Write it step by step
- 1Start the cursive r on the baseline and swing up to the midline, like the start of i.
- 2Retrace down only a short way, then branch into a small roof that points right.
- 3End the roof near the midline and bring a short exit toward the baseline. Do not draw a second hump.
Common mistakes to avoid
- A full second arch. That is n. The roof of r is a hook, not a hill you could fit an o inside.
- A roof that climbs above the midline toward the headline. r stays in the small band.
- No retrace, so the letter is a single slanted stick. The little down-then-out is what readers use to see r.
Practice words
red · run · for · three · letter
Turn this letter into a practice sheet
Opens a cursive tracing sheet with this lesson's words filled in. Download the PDF and print it.
See this letter on the alphabet chart and download the sheet →
Frequently asked questions
Why does my cursive r look like n?
The hook got promoted into a full arch. Stop the roof early, while it is still small, and exit. If the second shape has the same size as the first rise, you wrote n.
Does cursive r connect?
Yes. The entry is a normal baseline swing, and the exit leaves from the roof toward the next letter. It connects, it just does not travel as far as n.
Is there more than one cursive r?
Yes. Some school books teach a wave r and some a hooked r. This page uses the short roof. Pick one and keep it, because mixing them inside a word is what makes r unreadable.
Voice to Handwriting · voicetohandwriting.online