Capital D in Cursive: How to Write It
Capital D is one tall stroke and one bowl, not two bowls like B. The bowl leaves the top and comes home at the baseline. Leave it open and the letter reads as a strange L.
D
The letterforms on this page are rendered in Cedarville Cursive, an open-source font — school styles like Zaner-Bloser or D'Nealian differ in details. Treat the steps as the source of truth for stroke order; let the sample show you one possible shape.
Write it step by step
- 1For capital D, pull a stem from the headline to the baseline, with a slight leftward bow.
- 2From the top, swing a single broad curve out to the right, the full height of the stem.
- 3Bring that curve back to the baseline end of the stem so the bowl closes. Lift.
Common mistakes to avoid
- A second, smaller bowl in the middle. That is B. D has one curve.
- A bowl that stops in midair and never reaches the stem at the bottom.
- A stem that only reaches the midline, so the capital shrinks into a lowercase d.
Practice words
Dog · Door · Red · David · Diana
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Frequently asked questions
Does cursive capital D connect?
Not in the usual school hand. The bowl ends on the stem. Start the next letter separately rather than dragging a line out of the bottom.
How wide should the bowl be?
About as wide as the stem is tall, or a little less. A very thin D looks like a closed capital L. A very fat D crowds the next letter.
How is capital D different from capital O?
O has no separate stem; it is one oval. D has a clear back edge, the stem, and the curve attaches to it at top and bottom.
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