Cursive S
ModerateShoulder lettersA lowercase cursive s is a rising stroke to a small point just above the midline, then a curve back down and left that closes into a narrow loop at the baseline.
Lowercase and capital S in cursive
- Headline
- The top line. Tall letters โ b, d, f, h, k, l โ reach it; t stops just short.
- Midline
- The x-height line. Short letters such as a, c, e, n and o stop here.
- Baseline
- The writing line. Every letter sits on it.
- Descender
- Below the writing line, for f, g, j, p, q, y and z.
Copy cursive S symbols
Four Unicode script forms of the letter, ready to paste. Tap any card to copy the single character.
Lowercase cursive s
๐
The standard script form of a lowercase s. The most widely supported of the four โ it renders on effectively every current device.
Capital cursive S
๐ฎ
The script capital S, used to start a styled name. Well supported, though a few of the capitals come from a different Unicode block.
Bold lowercase s
๐ผ
A heavier weight of the same letterform. Slightly less widely supported โ older Android builds may show an empty box.
Bold capital S
๐ข
The bold script capital S. The most decorative of the four and the most likely to be missing a glyph on older devices.
| Style | Character | Unicode name |
|---|---|---|
| Lowercase cursive s | ๐ | Mathematical Script Small S |
| Capital cursive S | ๐ฎ | Mathematical Script Capital S |
| Bold lowercase s | ๐ผ | Mathematical Bold Script Small S |
| Bold capital S | ๐ข | Mathematical Bold Script Capital S |
These are Unicode characters, not a font, and not a picture of handwriting โ the stroke-order guidance above is the handwritten form. They paste into most bios and display names, but usernames on Instagram, X, TikTok, Discord and Roblox reject them, and screen readers announce them character by character.
How to write a lowercase s in cursive
- 1
From the baseline, stroke up to just above the midline.
Pen finishes at the midline
- 2
Curve left and back down, hollowing the left side of the letter.
Pen finishes at the midline
- 3
Bring the stroke down to the baseline and curve right to close a small loop.
Pen finishes at the baseline
- 4
Exit right with a short upstroke.
Pen finishes at the midline
How to write a capital S in cursive
- 1
Begin at the baseline and stroke up to the headline with a slight curve.
Pen finishes at the headline
- 2
Curve left at the top to form a small hook.
Pen finishes at the headline
- 3
Sweep down and left in a long curve to the baseline.
Pen finishes at the baseline
- 4
Close with a small loop at the baseline and exit right.
Pen finishes at the baseline
Joining s to other letters
Coming in
Low upstroke rising slightly above the midline, as for r.
Going out
Low baseline exit from the closing loop.
- ๐๐
st
Very common. The exit climbs to the headline for t.
- ๐โฏ
se
Low exit into the e loop โ "see", "sense", "house".
- ๐๐
ss
Two closing loops in a row. Keep both narrow or the pair fills in.
Common mistakes with cursive s
Drawing a printed s with its double curve.
Fix: Cursive s has one hollow on the left and a closing loop at the bottom โ it is not an s-curve.
Letting the bottom loop fill in, so s reads as e or i.
Fix: Keep visible white space in the closing loop.
Rounding the top instead of pointing it.
Fix: The top of s is a small point, like r.
Letters cursive s is mistaken for
| Confused with | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| r | r drops straight down from its shoulder; s curves back left and closes a loop. |
| e | An s with a filled bottom loop reads as e. |
| f | A capital S and a capital F are confused in some traditional hands. |
Practice words and names with s
Each of these puts s next to a different kind of join, so working through the list covers more than repeating the letter alone.
Words
- ๐๐พ๐๐โฏ๐sister
- ๐โฏ๐ถ๐โด๐season
- ๐ฝโด๐๐โฏhouse
- ๐ธ๐๐ถ๐๐class
- ๐๐๐๐โฏ๐sunset
Names
- ๐ฎโด๐ ๐ฝ๐พ๐ถSophia
- ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐โฏ๐Samuel
- ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฝSarah
- ๐ฎโฏ๐ท๐ถ๐๐๐พ๐ถ๐Sebastian
Printable s practice sheet
Tracing rows on four-line guides for both cases, plus the words above. Prints on one page.
Copy and paste cursive S
The handwriting guidance above is about forming the letter with a pen. If what you actually want is script-style text to paste into a bio or a username, use this instead.
Script characters
๐ฎโด๐ ๐ฝ๐พ๐ถ
These are Unicode mathematical script characters, not a font. They paste into most social bios and usernames, but screen readers announce them character by character and some sites strip them โ so avoid them in anything that needs to stay accessible or searchable.
About the letter s
Cursive lowercase s has essentially no visual relationship to printed s, which is why "lowercase s in cursive" is searched specifically โ people see it in handwriting and cannot decode it. There is no double curve: it is a point at the top, a hollow on the left, and a small loop at the bottom.
The closing loop is the part that fails. Written quickly it fills in, and a filled s is indistinguishable from an e. At small sizes the loop needs deliberate exaggeration.
Capital S, by contrast, is closer to its printed form and is one of the easier capitals. The pairing of a hard lowercase with an easy capital is unusual โ for most letters it is the other way round.
Learn these together: shoulder letters
These letters share the same base motion as s, so practising them as a group is faster than taking them alphabetically.
Frequently asked questions
What does a cursive s look like?
A lowercase cursive s is a rising stroke to a small point just above the midline, then a curve back down and left that closes into a narrow loop at the baseline.
How do you write a capital S in cursive?
1. Begin at the baseline and stroke up to the headline with a slight curve. 2. Curve left at the top to form a small hook. 3. Sweep down and left in a long curve to the baseline. 4. Close with a small loop at the baseline and exit right.
Is cursive s hard to write?
It is rated moderate. Cursive lowercase s has essentially no visual relationship to printed s, which is why "lowercase s in cursive" is searched specifically โ people see it in handwriting and cannot decode it. There is no double curve: it is a point at the top, a hollow on the left, and a small loop at the bottom.
Which letters does cursive s connect to?
Low baseline exit from the closing loop. "st" โ Very common. The exit climbs to the headline for t. "se" โ Low exit into the e loop โ "see", "sense", "house". "ss" โ Two closing loops in a row. Keep both narrow or the pair fills in.
Why does my cursive s look wrong?
Drawing a printed s with its double curve. Cursive s has one hollow on the left and a closing loop at the bottom โ it is not an s-curve. Letting the bottom loop fill in, so s reads as e or i. Keep visible white space in the closing loop. Rounding the top instead of pointing it. The top of s is a small point, like r.