Uppercase Kurrent
Below are examples of how a scribe would have formed the Kurrent letters. This is useful when trying to decipher hard to read letters or letters that are similar to each other.
Use the buttons to jump to a specific letter to study.
A
The uppercase Kurrent A is similar to its lowercase form as well as its uppercase Latin script counterpart.
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B
The uppercase Kurrent B is very similar to the uppercase Kurrent L except for a backwards loop which completes the final stroke. Unfortunately, this final loop is not always very pronounced.
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C
Just like the uppercase Kurrent K, the uppercase Kurrent C is characterized by a small curve at the top right of the main stem; this differentiates it from similar letters such as the uppercase Kurrent L. This letter, in its uppercase form, can appear next to an h but never next to a k.
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D
The uppercase Kurrent D differs from its lowercase Kurrent counterpart by starting with a curved line that touches the midline, after which it is the same as lowercase Kurrent d with a low loop goes down to the baseline, followed by an ascender to above the midline ending in a loop exiting to the right. The exiting loop may or may not cross the main stem and doesn’t necessarily have to connect with subsequent letters, Additionally the initial down loop and the ascender may become spread apart, resembling the letters cl (which occur only rarely in German) or il.
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E
The uppercase Kurrent E looks similar to its uppercase Latin counterpart, but it reaches from above the midline to below the baseline, rather than just to the baseline.
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F
The uppercase Kurrent F looks fairly similar to its uppercase Latin counterpart. There is some variety in the form of this letter, but it is always similar to this animated form or its uppercase Latin form.
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G
The uppercase Kurrent G is basically an enlarged version of the lowercase Kurrent g: it consists of a large loop with a downward stroke that curves into a backward loop below the baseline. In some cases, this letter appears similar to and can be confused with the uppercase Kurrent B, H, K and R.
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H
The uppercase Kurrent H features a forward loop above the midline, which drops to the baseline and then forms a backward loop, which extends from the midline under the baseline. This letter presents vary many variations, causing it to resemble the uppercase Kurrent B, G, K, or R.
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I
The uppercase Kurrent I looks very similar to the uppercase Kurrent J, except the standard uppercase Kurrent I doesn't go below the baseline. Many scribes, however, did not differentiate this letter and the uppercase Kurrent J at all. In this case note that the I will always precede a consonant.
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J
The uppercase Kurrent J looks very similar to the uppercase Kurrent I, except the standard uppercase Kurrent J goes below the baseline. Many scribes, however, did not differentiate this letter and the uppercase Kurrent I at all. In this case note that the J will always precede a vowel.
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K
Just like the uppercase Kurrent C, the uppercase Kurrent K has a small curve on the top right of the main stem that helps to differentiate it from the uppercase Kurrent R, with which it might be confused. This letter, however, appears much more often than the R at the beginning of words.
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L
The uppercase Kurrent L may be confused with the uppercase Kurrent B, but this letter does not have the loop at the end of the final stroke.
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M
The main differences between the uppercase Kurrent M and its uppercase Latin counterpart are the loops at the bottom of the first two stems and the small hook at the upper right before the last down-stroke. This character is generally very common and recognizable in Kurrent writing.
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N
The uppercase Kurrent N is identical to the uppercase Kurrent M, but has only one initial loop. It is also often confused with the combined Kurrent initial letters St, the only distinguishing mark being the stroke that crosses the lower stem of the lowercase Kurrent t.
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O
Similar to the uppercase Kurrent A, the uppercase Kurrent O has a large loop then a small loop when it returns to the top; unlike the uppercase Kurrent A, it exits off the right out of that small loop (omitting the large descending stroke).
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P
The uppercase Kurrent P is another letter that has numerous variants, but the common elements include the large forward loop above the midline and a stroke that distinctly crosses the stem below the midline. The tail usually helps define this character.
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Q
The uppercase Kurrent Q is very similar to its lowercase Kurrent form, although it could be confused with an uppercase Kurrent O followed by an uppercase Kurrent s.
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R
The uppercase kurrent R strongly resembles its uppercase Latin script counterpart. It is a relatively common initial letter as well.
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S
The uppercase Kurrent S is easy to write although it is quite a bit different from its modern Latin counterpart. This letter will not connect to any adjacent letter except sometimes a lowercase Kurrent t.
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T
The uppercase Kurrent T is similar to its uppercase Latin script counterpart, though it also resembles the uppercase Latin F.
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U
The uppercase Kurrent U looks very much like the uppercase Kurrent A, except for its open top that sometimes curves downward on the left. This letter might also feature a small loop on the lower left, near the baseline.
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V
The uppercase Kurrent V is similar to its lowercase Kurrent form. The final stroke will vary occasionally in length and position.
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W
The uppercase Kurrent W is often mistaken with the uppercase Kurrent M because it also starts with two large forward loops. Unlike the uppercase Kurrent M, however, the second loop of this letter is smaller and after reaching the baseline it forms a small forward loop, finishing in another large forward curve.
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X
The uppercase Kurrent X is similar to its uppercase Latin counterpart. It may sometimes be mistaken for an uppercase Kurrent H.
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Y
The uppercase Kurrent Y looks exactly like an uppercase Kurrent U or V, except that its right loop continues until it is below the baseline, where it curves to the left and forms a tail. Note that often the some scribes' uppercase Kurrent V's right curve may also go below the baseline, thus context must must be used to positively identify this rare letter.
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Z
The uppercase Kurrent Z is similar to its uppercase Latin script counterpart, as well as its lowercase Kurrent form.
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Ä
The uppercase Kurrent Ä strongly resembles its non-umlauted counterpart. The occurrence of this letter is uncommon, additionally Ä is interchangeable with either AE or Ae.
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Ö
The uppercase Kurrent Ö strongly resembles its non-umlauted counterpart. The occurrence of this letter is uncommon, additionally Ö is interchangeable with either OE or Oe.
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Ü
The uppercase Kurrent Ü strongly resembles its non-umlauted counterpart. The occurrence of this letter is uncommon, additionally Ü is interchangeable with either UE or Ue.
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These letters may be easily practiced with our handwriting practice sheets.