A cursive capital R starts with a slanted stem, retraces up, curves into a bowl that returns to the stem at the midline, then kicks out a leg to the baseline. A lowercase cursive r rises just above the midline, steps right along a small flat shoulder, drops straight down to the baseline and exits with an undercurve.
How to write R in cursive, step by step
The steps describe the Zaner-Bloser-style cursive used in many US schools. Hand lettering and calligraphy styles often use a print-like r instead; both are shown in the gallery below.
Capital R
Start at the top line. Pull a slanted stroke down to the baseline.
Retrace back up the stem to the top line.
Curve forward to the right and around, forming a bowl that comes back to touch the stem at the midline.
Make a small loop or a sharp turn where the bowl meets the stem, depending on your model.
Kick a curved leg out and down to the baseline, then finish with a short undercurve.
The capital R is the P with a leg. Getting the bowl to close cleanly at the midline is the hard part, so practice the P motion on its own if the bowl keeps landing too high or too low.
Lowercase r
Start at the baseline. Make an undercurve rising slightly above the midline.
At the top, make a small point, then step to the right in a short, nearly flat stroke. This is the shoulder.
From the end of the shoulder, pull a straight slant stroke down to the baseline.
Exit with an undercurve to the right.
The shoulder should be short, about a third of the letter's width, and it should sit just above the midline, not on it.
12 ways to write R
This is the gallery to look at if you came for "lettering R". Hand lettering rarely uses the school cursive r. Modern and brush styles use a print-like r with a single downstroke and a small rounded arm. Copperplate keeps the cursive shoulder but makes it a fine hairline with a shaded downstroke. Gothic R has a broken, angular bowl and a sharp leg, and italic R stretches the leg into a long diagonal tail. The signature R often drops the leg below the baseline to underline the name.
If you letter the word "Rose" or "Ruby" on a card, try the flourished capital. Its leg can extend under the next letters without hiding them.
Common mistakes with R
the shoulder of the lowercase r is missing, so it looks like an undotted i
the shoulder is too long or curved, so the r looks like an n or a v
the shoulder sits on the midline instead of slightly above it, so it merges into the join before it
the bowl of the capital R closes above or below the midline, which throws off the leg
When a word with several r's becomes hard to read, the shoulder is almost always the cause. Check each one on its own before you change anything else.
Joining R to other letters
The lowercase r leaves from the baseline, so the join itself is simple. The tricky part comes before the r: the stroke into it has to rise above the midline to make room for the shoulder. "Re" is the most common pair, and the e's loop should start low so it does not collide with the shoulder. In "ro", the exit climbs to the midline and turns into the o. In "rs", keep the s's point lower than the r's shoulder.
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Re
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Ra
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Ri
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Ro
Hand-lettered exemplar coming soon
Rs
Practice R
The free R sheet has the capital R, the cursive lowercase r with its shoulder, and the print-style r used in lettering, plus the joins above. Letter and A4 sizes are included.
The school cursive r is designed for a pen that does not lift. A printed r needs you to go down, then back up, then out to the right for the arm. The cursive version flips the order: up first, then across the shoulder, then down, so the next letter can follow straight away. That is efficient for the hand but unfamiliar to the eye, which is why many adults switch back to a print r even in cursive.
What is the difference between lettering an R and writing it in calligraphy?
Calligraphy writes each letter in a fixed sequence of strokes with a pen or brush, usually with thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes. Lettering draws the letter, often building the thick parts with several passes and refining the outline afterward. A lettered R can have shapes no single pen stroke would produce, such as a filled bowl or a striped leg.
What is the r rotunda?
In medieval blackletter, scribes used a second form of r, shaped a bit like the number 2, after round letters such as o, b and p. It is called r rotunda. It fits tightly against the curve before it, which saved space on expensive parchment. Gothic calligraphers still use it in historical pieces.
Which lowercase r should you use?
It depends on what you are writing. For joined handwriting, such as notes, letters and school work, the cursive r with its shoulder keeps the pen moving. For a hand-lettered word on a sign or card, the print-style r usually reads better at a distance and matches modern and brush styles. Copperplate and Spencerian keep the shoulder r, so use that if you are working in those styles. Whichever you pick, do not switch between the two inside the same word.
