Cursive Alphabet

Cursive I: How to Write a Capital and Lowercase I in Cursive

Learn how to write a cursive I. Watch the capital and lowercase i drawn stroke by stroke — including the two-stroke lowercase i — then take the letter quiz.

The lowercase i is the first letter Scribble teaches, because it is built from the two most important cursive strokes: the undercurve and the slant. It is also one of the few lowercase letters with two strokes — first the body, then the dot. Press play to watch each form, then try the checks.

The cursive capital I and lowercase i on handwriting guidelines, each with a green starting dot and a red stop sign

How to write a lowercase i in cursive

The model below is the exact lowercase i in cursive that children trace in Scribble. Press play to watch it drawn in two strokes on the writing lines, with a cue for every part of the stroke — then check the facts, joins, and practice words beside it.

Lowercase i has two strokes.

First the body, then the dot.

Lowercase i is a short letter.

It stays between the baseline and midline.

1
Make an undercurve, slant down, make an undercurve.Start at the baseline. Stop at the midline.
2
Dot.

Entry stroke: undercurveExit stroke: undercurve

Practice, from easiest to hardest

iii

Cursive lowercase i quiz

Take the lowercase i quiz to make sure the letter stuck: tap the two writing lines it stays between, tap where each stroke starts and stops, trace the letter with your finger or mouse, and answer the join question. Wrong taps just shake and let you try again.

1. Lines2. Start and stop3. Trace4. Joins

4 quick checks · about a minute

Cursive lowercase i worksheet

Print the free cursive lowercase i worksheet to move from the screen to paper. The PDF has five practice rows: trace the dashed i, write the i starting from the green dot, write it from memory, trace the join into the next letter, and trace a practice word from the Scribble curriculum.

Preview

Download (PDF)

How lowercase i joins other letters

Cursive letters slant forward and are joined together. The ending curve of the first letter can join the starting curve of the next letter — so what lowercase i does next depends only on which stroke the next letter starts with: an undercurve, a downcurve, or an overcurve.

undercurve → undercurveii

The undercurve of the i joins the undercurve of the i.

Every undercurve letter joins the same way — tap one:

undercurve → downcurveia

The undercurve of the i joins the downcurve of the a.

Every downcurve letter joins the same way — tap one:

undercurve → overcurvein

The undercurve of the i joins the overcurve of the n.

Every overcurve letter joins the same way — tap one:

How to write a capital I in cursive

The cursive capital I is written in one stroke. Press play to watch the capital I in cursive drawn on the writing lines, then note whether it connects to the letter after it — that is the habit that separates capitals from lowercase letters.

Capital I has one stroke.

I is a capital letter.

It stays between the baseline and topline.

I is a standalone capital letter.

Lift before the next letter.

1
Curve over, curve down, curve up, curve right.

Entry stroke: overcurveExit stroke: curve rightCapital type: standalone — lift before the next letter

Practice, from easiest to hardest

IItalyIdahoIvyI went to India.

Cursive capital I quiz

Take the capital I quiz to make sure the letter stuck: tap the two writing lines it stays between, tap where each stroke starts and stops, trace the letter with your finger or mouse, and answer the join question. Wrong taps just shake and let you try again.

1. Lines2. Start and stop3. Trace4. Joins

4 quick checks · about a minute

Capital I and the next letter

I is a standalone capital letter. Lift before the next letter. In "Ii" you finish the capital, lift, and start the i separately.

Cursive capital I worksheet

Print the free cursive capital I worksheet to move from the screen to paper. The PDF has five practice rows: trace the dashed I, write the I starting from the green dot, write it from memory, trace the join into the next letter, and trace a practice word from the Scribble curriculum.

Preview

Download (PDF)

Frequently asked questions

The lowercase cursive i has two strokes. First the body: make an undercurve, slant down, make an undercurve — it starts at the baseline and stops at the midline. Then lift and add the dot above the body.

Two. First the body, then the dot. The dot is its own stroke because you lift your pencil to make it.

The cursive capital I is one stroke: curve over, curve down, curve up, then curve right. It stays between the baseline and topline.

Directly above the body, between the midline and the topline — not touching the body. In cursive words the dot is added after the whole word is written.

The i begins and ends with an undercurve, so letters flow in and out of it easily — that is why "ii" is the very first join children practice: the last undercurve of the first i also starts the second i.

Practice cursive i with real feedback

Scribble teaches every letter this same way on iPad — watch, trace, write, and get feedback on shape, size, spacing, and slant.

Try Scribble