A cursive capital D is a slanted stem from the top line to the baseline, a small loop at the bottom, and a large curve that sweeps right along the baseline, up and around the top, and back to the left. A lowercase cursive d is an oval at the midline followed by a stroke up to the top line that retraces back down to the baseline and exits with an undercurve.
How to write D in cursive, step by step
The steps follow a Zaner-Bloser-style school cursive. The lowercase d builds on the a, so if your a is steady, most of the d is already done.
Capital D
Start at the top line and pull a slanted stroke down to the baseline.
At the baseline, make a small loop to the left and come back across the bottom of the stem.
Curve forward along the baseline to the right, then up the right side of the letter.
Curve over the top line and back to the left, past the top of the stem.
Finish with a small curve back toward the right, inside the top of the letter.
The D is wide, close to the full width of an O. Most beginner D's are too narrow, because the big curve turns upward too soon after the loop.
Lowercase d
If joining from a previous letter, arrive with an overcurve just below the midline.
Make a downcurve to the left, around the bottom and up to the midline, closing the oval.
Without stopping, keep going up in a straight line to the top line.
Retrace the same line back down to the baseline.
Exit with an undercurve.
The up-and-down stem must be one line, not two. If you can see daylight between the upstroke and the downstroke, the d starts to look like "cl".
12 ways to write D
D shows a clear split between styles. School cursive and most pointed-pen scripts keep the looped capital, often with the top curve stretched into a flourish that overlaps the stem. Gothic and italic use a capital closer to the printed D, a straight stem and a bowl. For the lowercase, Spencerian and some older hands loop the ascender of the d, while copperplate often curls it back to the left at the top.
Compare the lowercase forms across the tiles. The stem's height and how it ends at the top change the look of a whole word more than the oval does.
Common mistakes with D
the stem stops at the midline instead of the top line, so the d reads as an a
the upstroke and downstroke of the stem separate instead of retracing, so the d looks like cl
the oval is left open where the stem starts, leaving a gap on the right side
the capital D's big curve turns upward too soon after the baseline loop, making the letter narrow
A short stem is the D mistake that changes the word. A d that stops at the midline becomes an a, and "dad" turns into "aaa".
Joining D to other letters
The lowercase d leaves the baseline with a plain undercurve, so the joins after it are like those after a. "De", "di" and "du" are easy. In "da" and "do" the exit has to rise and travel back to start a new oval right after the stem, so leave enough space that the two letters do not run together. "Dr" asks the exit to climb above the midline for the r's shoulder. The tall retraced stem is the place to watch: start each join only after you have come all the way back to the baseline.
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Da
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
De
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Di
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Do
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Dr
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Du
The capital D does not join in most school models. Finish the curve, lift, and start the next letter separately.
Practice D
The D sheet starts with ovals with tall stems, then the capital D, the lowercase d, and the joins. Trace each row three times, then write freehand underneath. It comes in US Letter and A4.
Not in Zaner-Bloser or D'Nealian. Both teach the d with a retraced stem and no loop, the same way they treat the t. Older models such as Palmer, and many adult hands, add a loop at the top, and that is still readable. If you loop the d, keep the loop narrow and tight to the stem so it does not crowd the oval. The letter A page covers the oval the d is built on.
Why does the cursive capital D look nothing like a printed D?
The printed D is a stem and a bowl. The cursive D keeps the stem but replaces the bowl with one continuous curve that starts with a loop at the baseline and wraps all the way around. It was designed to be written without lifting the pen. If you prefer a D closer to print, the italic and gothic tiles above keep the bowl.
How do you write a capital D for a signature?
Exaggerate the top curve. Instead of stopping inside the letter, carry it over the top of the stem and out to the left, or let it swing back right across the top of the name. Keep the baseline loop small, since that is what tells the reader it is a D and not an O.
Where does the letter D come from?
D comes from the Phoenician letter daleth, often read as door. The Greeks made it a triangle, delta, and the Romans rounded one side to make the D used today.
