Cursive, less technically known as “joined-up writing,” is any style of penmanship in which characters are written in a flowing manner without breaks in between. In theory, this makes writing faster and, when well executed, more aesthetically pleasing, particularly in contrast to block letters. In France, children start learning to write in cursive as early as kindergarten, where they learn a specific style of handwriting known as French cursive.
French cursive has its own unique characteristics that make it instantly recognizable, at least to anyone familiar with European penmanship traditions. It comes from the French ronde (“round”) script, which was meant to lend the characters a round look when taken together. This script appeared in France at the end of the 16th century and was taught in French schools until the 20th century. French cursive, which maintains some of the loops and flourishes of the earlier ronde, was later standardized as part of France’s national education system, ensuring greater consistency in handwriting instruction across the country.
The most notable feature of French cursive is its emphasis on graceful loops and rounded strokes, which can make the script more ornate than, say, its English counterparts. And while French cursive letters can be written at a slant, they are often written at an angle of 90 degrees from the line — in other words, they’re more upright than letters in many other cursive styles, including the cursive typically taught in American schools.
Some letters in French cursive have unique shapes. For example, the lowercase “p” has an open loop that doesn’t connect the curve to the downstroke of the “p.” Capital letters, meanwhile, frequently include decorative flourishes and very prominent loops. The capital “X,” for one, has so many loops, it nearly resembles a petal or a four-leaf clover. Many letters also tend to begin with a small eyelet, a rounded embellishment that further adds to the all-around elegance of French cursive.
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