Skip to content
PrintablePal

Cursive handwritingGrades 2–4

Cursive U

Prints a cursive U page with a big model, capital and small u to trace, a joined row, and the words up, under and us. For children in grades 2 to 4.

By Paul Gunder. Free to print for home, classroom and office use; see how our printables are made.

Updated

  • Type your details or print blank
  • Print or PDF, Letter or A4
  • Free, no sign-up

Fill in your form

Your detailsOptional. Empty fields print as lines to write on.
Layout
Paper
Paper size

What you type stays in this browser. It is never sent to us, and it is not part of a shared link.

Cursive U: Capital U and Small u2 pages · US Letter

Live preview
NameDateScoreCursive U: Capital U and Small uTrace the grey letters, starting each one where the dark model starts. Then practise u joined to itself and in wordsthat start with u.Print: U uWords: up, under, usPrintablePal.com · free cursive worksheetsCursive U: Capital U and Small u · page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
NameDateScoreCursive U: Capital U and Small uTrace the grey letters, starting each one where the dark model starts. Then practise u joined to itself and in wordsthat start with u.Print: U uWords: up, under, usPrintablePal.com · free cursive worksheetsCursive U: Capital U and Small u · page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2

On this page

What prints

A large dark "Uu" leads the page, with "Print: U u" and the words up, under, us beside it. Underneath: capital U twice, small u twice, "uuu" and the three words, each repeated along its line. Dark first copy, grey after.

Small u

Small u has two points at the top. Start on the baseline, undercurve up to the midline, come down to the baseline, swing around the bottom and rise again to the midline. Retrace down the right side and finish with an upstroke. The tricky bit is the retrace on the right, which makes the u close properly. Without it the letter looks like a w missing a leg or a v.

Many sources class u among the pointy undercurve letters, with i, t and w.

Capital U

Capital U starts at the top with a curved entry on the left, drops, rounds the bottom, and goes back up the right to finish with a small curve. A few programs add a tail. D'Nealian and others shape it differently, and the sample is a font in a natural hand, so any mismatch with your book is not an error.

Joining u to the next letter

The upstroke at the end of u is the join. In "up" it climbs to p's start. In "under" it flows into n, and since n starts with a retrace, u-n gives you two hills in a row: take care that each point stays sharp. "Us" ends in s, so the u exit meets a narrow letter.

Mistakes

  • Rounded tops so u reads like an o or a
  • Missing the right-hand retrace
  • Making the two points different heights
  • Capital U drawn as a print U with a lift in the middle

The settings

  • Practice. One letter.
  • Letter. U u when it opens.
  • Line size. Big lines for beginners, middle size for regular practice, and a compact size for confident hands.

Worked example: Kai's rows of points

Kai counts the points. On the first "uuu" row he writes six points: two per letter. His mother draws a tiny dot at each peak. At Line size: Large the points are easy to see. With "under" he notices the u and n peaks match. By the end of the page each u has an even pair.

Come from cursive T and go on to cursive V. The lowercase cursive letters page puts u beside the others.

Sources

  1. Reading Rockets: Writing (handwriting and writing instruction for children) readingrockets.org