Cursive Letter Y Worksheets

Cursive y begins like u and ends like g. Enter with an overcurve from the baseline, come down to the baseline, rise to the midline, then come down again and keep going straight through the baseline into the descender space, loop to the left, and return to the baseline to join whatever follows. The top half is a valley, the bottom half is a loop.

Two letters in one

That split is why y is worth teaching after both u and g are secure. The upper part is the u motion the hand already owns, and the lower part is the g loop it has also already met, so the only new skill is the transition between them: the second downstroke does not stop at the baseline, it carries on. Saying that out loud while writing tends to be enough.

Loop left, and go deep enough

The descender of y loops to the left, like g and j, and should reach about as far below the baseline as the body of the letter rises above it. A shallow y reads as a u with a hook, so yes and yak lose their shape. Ordinary single ruled paper offers no room for this, which is why the guides on these worksheets leave the descender space open.

The three practice pages

The extra large sheet prints Y and y at 88 point, with a solid model in front of three dashed copies on each band and a blank ruled band at the foot. The guided page pairs capital and lowercase, then runs rows of seven capitals, seven lowercase and four Yy pairs on three line guides, ending with two free lines. The words page traces yes, yak and yam.

Is cursive y written like g or like u?

Both, in that order. The first half is the u valley and the second half is the g descender loop, joined by a downstroke that passes straight through the baseline instead of stopping on it. If a child can already write u and g cleanly, y usually takes a single session.