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How to Write 4 in Cursive

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content

Digit 4 in Playwrite US Trad (traditional school cursive).

The cursive 4 comes in two accepted versions, open and closed, and the real difference is how many pen strokes it takes. The closed 4 is a triangle with the vertical line crossing it, and the open 4 leaves the triangle unclosed. Both start with the same diagonal, so you can switch whenever you need to.

How to write 4

Start: At the top line, right of the centre, heading down and left.

  1. 1Start at the top line and draw a diagonal stroke down and to the left, stopping just below the midline.
  2. 2Turn and draw a horizontal stroke across to the right, going a little past where the vertical will fall.
  3. 3Lift the pen and go back to the top line, a little right of the diagonal's start.
  4. 4Draw a straight vertical line down through the horizontal, to the baseline. For the closed 4, the vertical meets the top of the diagonal to complete a triangle.
  5. 5Leave a gap before the next digit.

Variations between schools and countries

Zaner-Bloser teaches the closed 4 as a triangle with a vertical stem that crosses the bar. The open 4, where the diagonal does not meet the vertical, is common in D'Nealian and in quick handwriting, and is the usual 4 in much of Europe. Some writers draw the 4 in a single continuous stroke by looping at the bottom of the diagonal and continuing up the stem. Cheques and forms accept either, but a closed 4 cannot be turned into a 9 by adding a loop at the top, which is the reason bank staff advise closing it.

Common mistakes with 4

  • Making the top of an open 4 so open that it looks like a U with a tail

    Keep the diagonal reaching the midline and the vertical clearly crossing the bar.

  • Closing the 4 so far that it resembles a 9

    Keep the top pointed, with a straight diagonal rather than a rounded loop.

  • Letting the vertical stop at the bar

    Extend the stem through the bar down to the baseline. The crossing is what makes it a 4.

  • Slanting the diagonal and stem in opposite directions

    Keep the stem on your writing slant and angle the diagonal to meet it.

Where you will write 4

Fours turn up in dates (4th, 2024, 14) and phone numbers, and the open or closed choice matters most on cheques and legal forms, where a closed 4 is harder to alter. On posters and cards, the open 4 looks lighter and works for ages and years. Tattoo designers often choose a closed 4 for its balanced look and an open 4 for a more calligraphic one.

Printable practice sheet

Trace the grey letters, then write your own on the empty lines. Prints on one page (Letter or A4).

Cursive practice: 4 4 4 4 4 4

Name: ____________________   coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste styles for 4

Unicode has script letters but no script digits, so no copyable 4 is truly cursive. The styled versions you can paste are bold 𝟒, double-struck 𝟜, monospace 𝟺, circled ④, negative circled ❹, superscript ⁴ and subscript ₄. The circled ④ and negative circled ❹ are handy for numbered lists, but they take up a full character width. For a numbered list or an age, preview the options in the number font generator; an open or closed handwritten 4 needs a script font as an image.

Cursive 4: questions

Is a cursive 4 open or closed?
Both are used. The closed 4 is a triangle where the diagonal meets the vertical, while the open 4 leaves the top unjoined. School models differ: Zaner-Bloser leans toward closed, D'Nealian and many European hands toward open. For forms and cheques, the closed 4 is harder to misread.
How do you write an open 4?
Draw a diagonal from the top line down to the left, then a horizontal bar to the right, then lift and draw a vertical line from the top down through the bar. The diagonal and the vertical do not touch at the top. It takes two strokes and is the quicker version.
Why do banks prefer a closed 4?
A closed 4 is harder to turn into another digit. An open 4 can be altered more easily, and in careless writing it can look like a 9. The advice is a practical habit, not a rule, and your bank will accept either on a cheque if it is clearly written.
Can I copy a cursive 4?
Unicode has no script digits, so a copy-paste 4 is another style: bold 𝟒, double-struck 𝟜, circled ④ and the like. A cursive-shaped 4, with its open top or closed triangle, can only be shown as an image made with a script or handwriting font. If the 4 sits inside a date or price, add the plain digit as text too.

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