How to Write Henry in Cursive

Your name in school cursive with the capital, the joins and the tricky spots explained, plus a printable practice sheet.

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · October 2026 · How we review content

"Henry" in Playwrite US Trad, a typeface modelled on traditional school cursive.

Henry has a capital H that is wide and a lowercase y that drops below the line. In between sits the awkward nr pair, which is a join people rarely practise because it appears in so few words. The name looks neat when the n and r are small and the y is allowed a full loop.

Copy and paste "Henry" in cursive

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Letter by letter

Each distinct letter in "Henry" has its own stroke-by-stroke page.

The joins in Henry

He: The exit from the second stem runs along the baseline and rises into the e. Make a small loop, close it and leave along the baseline.
en: The e exits at the baseline into the n, which is a stem with one arch. Keep the arch round and the exit short.
nr: The n finishes at the baseline and rises into the r shoulder. The r is a small letter with a pointed shoulder. If the shoulder is too tall, it looks like an n.
ry: The r exits high from its shoulder and the y begins from there. Drop the stem below the baseline and loop back up.

Tricky spots

The r shoulder: A rounded r reads as another n. Make the shoulder a little pointed and keep it shorter than the n arch.
The y descender: The y loop drops below the baseline. Leave space under the line and keep the loop narrow.
The two-part H: Because H takes a lift, make the crossbar part clearly attach to the first stem.

The capital H

Traditional capital H is two separate strokes: a tall slanted stem, then a second stem with a crossbar, usually with a loop at the top. The final stroke leaves along the baseline and connects into the e, so the capital and the first lowercase letter are joined even though the H itself needs a pen lift between its two strokes. Give the H a bit of width so it does not look like an N.

Henry as a signature

The H is easy to turn into a flourish: the crossbar can stretch to the right and become the underline. The middle letters (enr) can be shortened, as long as the y keeps its tail. A strong H and a clear y are enough to make Henry recognisable.

Short forms of Henry

Common short forms are Hank and Harry, though Hank starts from a different spelling, so the cursive changes after the H. Hen is rarely used. For most cards, the full name is the norm.

As a tattoo

The y descender needs room below the line, and the n, r pair needs enough size that the small shoulder stays visible. Ask for a slightly open H so the two stems do not merge. Keep the e loop open.

Printable practice sheet

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

Cursive practice: Henry

Name: ____________________ coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste versions of Henry

Script ℋℯ𝓃𝓇𝓎 and bold script 𝓗𝓮𝓷𝓻𝔂 are generated by code from the Unicode mathematical script blocks, so you can paste either one anywhere that accepts Unicode text. The first two letters are both borrowed: ℋ (U+210B) and ℯ (U+212F), side by side at the start of the string, from the Letterlike Symbols block. The 𝓃𝓇𝓎 that follows is standard script, so the opening pair may look different on some devices. Bold script shows five matching characters.

Henry in cursive: questions

How do you write a capital H in cursive?

Draw a tall slanted stem with a small curl at the top, lift, then draw a second stem with a loop or hook at the top and a crossbar that sweeps across and out to the right. The final stroke leads into the next letter. The pen lift happens inside the H, so the connection to the e stays unbroken.

Does the H connect to the e in Henry?

Yes. Capital H is among the capitals that connect, so the final stroke leaves along the baseline and rises into the e. The pen lift happens inside the H, between its two stems. Write the H wide enough that it is not mistaken for an N.

How do I stop the r in Henry looking like an n?

Make the shoulder small and slightly pointed, and keep the r shorter than the n before it. The r has only one short arch with no full curve down the right side, so it should be visibly smaller. Practise a row of r shapes beside a row of n shapes, so your hand learns that the r is the smaller of the two.