Russian Cursive К к (Ka): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive к is a short x-height stem with a small loop and a leg on the right, like a Latin k shrunk to lowercase height. Unlike Latin k, it has no tall ascender. A "k" as in "kite", but without the puff of air of English k.
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /k/, written k
- Letter name
- ка
- Often confused with
- Latin k, ж
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Sound
A "k" as in "kite", but without the puff of air of English k.
How to write cursive к, step by step
- Draw a slanted stem from the x-height down to the baseline.
- Lift the pen, or retrace, and start the arm at the top right of the stem area.
- Curve the arm in to touch the stem at mid-height with a tiny loop.
- Kick the leg out diagonally to the baseline and exit to the right.
The capital К
Capital К looks like a handwritten Latin K: a tall stem, often starting with a small hook, and a curled arm and leg meeting it in a loop.
How it connects to other letters
к usually needs a pen lift between the stem and the arm. The leg ends on the baseline and connects forward.
Letters it is confused with
к / Latin k: Writing к with a tall ascender like an English k is a common foreign accent in handwriting; Russian к stays at x-height.
к / ж: ж has arcs on both sides of the stem; к has an arm and leg only on the right.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| кот | кот | kot | tomcat |
| рука | рука | ruká | hand, arm |
| кошка | кошка | kóshka | cat |
| окно | окно | oknó | window |
Common mistakes
- Giving the lowercase a tall ascender, which makes it compete with б and в.
- Leaving out the small loop so arm and leg look like a separate <.
Turn this guide into words you can use
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