German Cursive Generator
Type any text and see it in Kurrent, the old German handwriting, or in Fraktur. Download as PDF or PNG. Free tracing sheets and the full alphabet below.
- 1 Write your text
- 2 Generate
- 3 Download
How to Write in German Cursive
Type any text into the editor above and it appears in German cursive, the old Kurrent handwriting, or in Fraktur, the printed blackletter. German and English both work, and so do names and dates.
Pick the script, the paper and the ink. Kurrent on cream paper with brown ink looks like a letter from the 1800s; Fraktur suits a title, a family name or a framed quote.
Download the page as a PDF or as an image. Long texts spread over several pages, and the conversion itself is free. There are also free Kurrent tracing sheets further down if you want to learn the hand yourself.
1.Type modern German or English
A name, a saying or a whole letter.
2.Pick Kurrent or Fraktur
Handwriting or the printed blackletter.
3.Download PDF or PNG
For cards, frames, research notes.
German Cursive Alphabet
The chart shows every small letter as you know it and, below it, the same letter in German cursive. It includes ä, ö, ü, ß and the long ſ, which Kurrent uses at the start and in the middle of words.
Several Kurrent letters look nothing like their modern forms. The small e is two short strokes, the u looks like an n with a small arc above it, and the h drops a loop below the line. Learn those first and whole words start to make sense.
To see a letter inside a word, type the word into the generator. Kurrent letters change a little depending on their neighbours, and seeing them joined is the fastest way to learn them.
Old German Script Alphabet
The capitals are where old German script is most decorative, with large swinging entry strokes. The second chart puts the capitals and digits of Fraktur and Kurrent side by side, so you can tell a printed page from a handwritten one at a glance.
a
a
b
b
c
c
d
d
e
e
f
f
g
g
h
h
i
i
j
j
k
k
l
l
m
m
n
n
o
o
p
p
q
q
r
r
s
s
t
t
u
u
v
v
w
w
x
x
y
y
z
z
ä
ä
ö
ö
ü
ü
ß
ß
ſ
ſ
Small letters in Kurrent, with ä ö ü ß and the long ſ
Kurrent tracing sheets
Type your own words, pick a preset, download a free PDF.
3 pages · Free · No sign up
Each page as its own clean PDF, no footer
Kurrent: the Old German Handwriting
Kurrent was the everyday handwriting of German speakers for centuries. Letters, diaries, church books and legal records up to the 1940s are written in it, which is why genealogists meet it so often.
It slants strongly to the right, with pointed shapes, tall loops and a very small middle band. Words run together quickly, and letters that differ only by a stroke, like e and n, make it hard to read at first.
The Kurrent face in this generator is GL German Cursive, a free font that includes the umlauts, ß and the long ſ. Type ſ where a word needs it and the text looks the way it would have been written.
Liebe Mutter,
wir ſind gut angekommen und
ſenden viele Grüße aus Hamburg.
Dein Wilhelm
Old German Script: Kurrent, Sütterlin and Fraktur
"Old German script" covers three different things. Kurrent is the old handwriting, Sütterlin is a later school handwriting, and Fraktur is the printed blackletter of books and newspapers.
All three were in everyday use until 1941, when a decree replaced them with Latin script in schools and print. That is why most Germans born after the war cannot read their grandparents' letters, and why the question comes up in almost every family history.
A handwritten document is almost always Kurrent or Sütterlin; a printed book, newspaper or certificate is Fraktur. The generator writes Kurrent and Fraktur.
Fraktur: printed
Heimat
Books, newspapers, signs
Kurrent: handwritten
Heimat
Letters, diaries, church records
Sütterlin Script vs Kurrent
Sütterlin is often used as a name for any old German handwriting, but it is one specific script. Ludwig Sütterlin designed it in 1911 for the Prussian ministry of education as a simpler school hand, and Prussian schools taught it from 1915.
Sütterlin stands upright and is round, with equal heights for the upper, middle and lower zones. Kurrent slants hard to the right and is pointed, with a tiny middle band. They share the same letter shapes, which is why people mix them up.
This generator writes Kurrent, not Sütterlin. We have not found a Sütterlin font with a license we can use in good conscience. For reading old documents, Kurrent is the script you will meet most, since it was in use far longer.
| Kurrent | Sütterlin | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Grew from the 16th century | Designed by Ludwig Sütterlin, 1911 |
| Slant | Strongly slanted right | Upright |
| Shapes | Pointed, narrow, tall loops | Round, equal proportions |
| In use | Until 1941 | About 1915 to 1941 |
| In this generator | Yes (GL German Cursive) | No |
German Fraktur Script: the Printed Blackletter
Fraktur is the broken, angular typeface of German books, newspapers, certificates and signs until the middle of the 20th century. It is a print type, not a handwriting.
It is far easier to read than Kurrent once you know a few letters: the long ſ that looks like an f without a crossbar, the k and the capitals. Today it shows up on beer labels, club crests and tattoos.
The Fraktur face here is UnifrakturMaguntia, an open source font. Type a name or a line in the generator and download it as an image, or copy it as Unicode Fraktur text with the tool beside this section for a bio or a chat.
- 𝔊𝔯𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔥𝔬𝔪𝔢
- 𝕲𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊
Unicode Fraktur has no ä, ö, ü or ß: umlauts are built with a combining diaeresis and ß becomes two s. How the dots look depends on the device.
Old German Handwriting in Family Records
Church books, civil registers, emigration papers and letters from German speaking ancestors are almost always handwritten in Kurrent. Reading them is the core skill of German genealogy.
Entries follow patterns: a number, a name, a date, the parents, a profession, a place. Once you recognise the recurring words, like geboren (born), getauft (baptised) or gestorben (died), you can read the rest by context.
A good way to train is to write the words you expect in the generator, in Kurrent, and compare them with the record. Seeing Müller or Schmied written clearly makes the hurried version in the register much easier to spot.
German Script Font for Word and Mac
Both scripts in the generator are free fonts, so you can also install them and type in Word, Pages or a design app.
The Fraktur, UnifrakturMaguntia, is on Google Fonts under the Open Font License. The Kurrent, GL German Cursive, is available from Peter Wiegel's font page. On Windows, right click the file and choose Install; on a Mac, double click it and install it in Font Book.
A font only sets letters. Paper, lines and the natural unevenness of a handwritten page do not come with it; for a page that looks written, the generator is the quicker route.
- Calibri
- UnifrakturMaguntiaOFL
- GL German Cursivefree
- Times New Roman
Reading Old German Cursive: Tips for Genealogists
Reading old German cursive is a skill you build, not a code you crack in one go. A few habits make the first weeks much easier.
Watch the letters that trip everyone: e and n, u with its small arc, the long ſ inside words and the h with its loop below the line. Start from words you can guess, like names and places, and use them as anchors for the letters around them.
Write before you read: tracing a few Kurrent sheets teaches your eye the shapes faster than staring at records. For whole documents, genealogy societies and specialised handwriting recognition programs can help; this generator converts into old German script, not out of it.
- eee is two short strokes, easy to read as n
- uuu is written like n; a small arc above tells them apart
- ſſthe long ſ stands inside words, round s at the end
- hhh has a loop below the line
Simple pricing
Every font, paper and ink is free to use in the editor. Pay only when you want a watermark-free export: buy credits once, or subscribe for more pages, HD quality and your own handwriting as a font.
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German Cursive Generator FAQ
The scripts, downloading, the long s, and reading old documents.
No. The handwriting here is Kurrent, the older and more slanted German script. Sütterlin is a later, round and upright school hand. We have not found a Sütterlin font with a license we can use.
Fraktur is a printed typeface from books and newspapers; Kurrent is a handwriting from letters and records. Both count as old German script and were in use until 1941.
Kurrent has no Unicode characters, so it can only be shared as an image or PDF. Printed Fraktur can be copied as Unicode text with the copy tool in the Fraktur section of this page.
Type ſ directly or copy it from this answer. In Kurrent it goes at the start and in the middle of words, with the round s only at the end. The generator does not insert it automatically.
Yes. Both the Kurrent and the Fraktur font include the umlauts and ß, and the Kurrent font also has the long ſ.
Use Download for a PDF of every page, or export the current page as PNG or JPEG. Free downloads carry a small watermark; a clean download costs credits, with no subscription, or comes with a plan.
Yes. Converting, previewing and the tracing sheets are free without an account. Only a watermark free page download needs credits or a plan.
Both fonts are free for commercial use: UnifrakturMaguntia under the Open Font License, GL German Cursive as free software with unlimited permission to use it.
No. It converts modern text into old German script, not the other way round. For reading, use the alphabet on this page, practice, and for whole documents specialised handwriting recognition or a genealogy society.
With a little daily practice, most people read simple letters after a few weeks. Writing the script yourself with the tracing sheets speeds this up a lot.
Yes. The practice sheet generator on this page has Kurrent presets for words, a sentence and the alphabet. Type your own words and download a free PDF.
A decree of 3 January 1941 replaced Kurrent, Sütterlin and Fraktur with Latin script in schools and print. Many people kept writing Kurrent privately for decades after.