Jacob in Cursive

Before you start, here is what is in the name. These facts come from the letters themselves, using the same school-style cursive model as the drawing above.

Jacob is written with 5 letters: J, a, c, o, b. The picture shows each different letter on its own, with the shape to aim for. The table below it lists every join in order, so you can see where the pen has to travel between letters.

The joins, one by one

A join is the connecting stroke between two letters. Where it starts depends on the letter you just finished, and where it ends depends on the letter coming next. This table follows the school-style model used for the drawings on this site; some programs use slightly different joins.

The capital J

The cursive capital J is a tall stroke that curves down through the baseline into a loop below the line, then returns to the baseline to join the a. The loop below the line is what separates it from a capital I. Give the J enough height, about twice the small letters, and leave room under the line for the loop.

a, c, o: three round letters in a row

After the J come a, c and o. All three are round, and they start at the middle line, so each join from the baseline climbs up to the next letter. The a is closed, the c is open, and the o is closed. When writing quickly it is easy to close the c into an o or open the a into a c. Keep the opening of the c on the right, and keep a and o closed at the top.

The join from o into b

The o leaves at the middle line, but the b starts low at the baseline with a loop that climbs to the top line. That means the join is a short dive from the middle line down to the baseline, followed by the tall loop of the b. If you write the o and then lift, the b looks like a separate print letter. Keep the pen down and let the connector slide into the stem.

These are the slips that show up most often with this name. Check your own lines against the list before you move on.

• Forgetting the loop below the baseline on the J.
• Closing the c into an o.
• Lifting between o and b.
• Making the b bowl too large, so it looks like a 6.

Write ac and co as separate pairs ten times each, then ob ten times. The capital J deserves its own row: write it ten times, comparing the loop with the line spacing. Then connect everything. If you write on narrow lines, the J loop can run into the line below; use paper with more space. The lined paper page has large-size sheets for this.

The one-page PDF has the name once in black as a model, two grey rows to trace, a blank ruled row and the short forms of Jacob to trace underneath. It prints on Letter or A4. For another name or a full class set, use the worksheet generator, and for blank ruled paper see cursive lined paper.

Jake is the usual short form, Jakob is a spelling variant and Coby is a short form. Jake keeps the capital J and swaps the c, o and b for a k and an e. Coby drops the J entirely and is a useful way to practise the c, o and b joins without a descender.

Jacob is the English form of the Hebrew name Ya’aqov, which Genesis explains in connection with the word for heel, and the name is often glossed as holder of the heel or supplanter. The name James comes from the same Hebrew name by way of Latin, so James and Jacob are the same name in different forms.

In Genesis, Jacob is the father of twelve sons, including Benjamin. The name has been in continuous use in English for centuries and has been among the more common boys’ names in several countries.