Letter J Formation Worksheet

How to write the letter J

The capital J is written in one stroke, and the small j in two strokes (the dot counts as the last stroke). The worksheet above is already set to this letter. It shows a model of each letter with green numbered start points and red direction arrows, then rows of dotted copies to trace and empty space to write on your own. Change the letter case, the size or the number of rows in the settings.

Capital J

Start at the top and draw a straight line down. Near the bottom, curve to the left and finish with a small hook that turns up on the left. It is one stroke.

Small j

Draw a line down from the middle line, through the base line, and curve to the left to make a hook below the line. Then lift your pencil and add a dot above, in the space between the middle line and the top line.

Teaching tip for J

The small j has a tail like g, p, q and y, so the hook drops below the base line. The capital J sits on the base line. As with i, the dot comes last. Children sometimes forget the hook and write an i with a long tail, so ask "Where does the j hook to?"

The sound of J and words to practice

The letter J usually stands for the sound /j/ as in jam. Words to practice: jam, jelly, jump, jar, jacket, jet. Say each word, listen for the first sound and trace the letter. Try the beginning sounds worksheets to match the sound to pictures, or trace the words themselves with word tracing.

Letters that look alike

The letter J is easy to mix up with Letter Ii and Letter Gg. Practice them on separate days, one at a time, and say the starting point out loud each time before the pencil touches the paper.

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