Graffiti letter Y

The graffiti letter Y is a V sitting on a stem, and that stem can drop, curl or kick like a tail. Below is the Y in every style, then steps, mistakes and how it hooks under a word.

Throw-up graffiti Y with chrome fill and black outline — Throw-up

Handstyle graffiti letter Y with drips — Handstyle

Blockbuster graffiti Y with a 3D block — Blockbuster

Old English letter Y in gothic chicano style — Old English

Stencil letter Y for spray paint — Stencil

Neon graffiti letter Y glowing on a dark wall — Neon

How to draw a Y in graffiti

To draw a Y in graffiti, pencil a wide V and a stem from its point down to the baseline or below, then thicken all three strokes. Make the arms long enough to read, keep the gap between them open, outline it and add 3D. Curl or point the end of the stem for style.

Arms. Pencil a wide V in the top half.
Stem. Drop a stem from the point of the V to the baseline, or below it.
Curl the tail. Bend the bottom of the stem to the left like a J hook, or end it in a point.
Thicken. Make the arms heavy where they meet the stem.
Outline and 3D. Ink it, keep the top gap clear and extrude.

Letter structure: the parts of a Y

A Y is a V sitting on a stem. The two arms meet at a junction, and the stem hangs below it. The junction usually sits around the middle: moving it up gives a longer stem, moving it down gives longer arms. One counter opens at the top between the arms.

The Y in bubble, blockbuster, wildstyle, throw-up and Old English

Bubble. A fat slingshot shape with a short, round stem.

Blockbuster. A square V on a thick post. Simple and clear.

Wildstyle. The stem drops into a curling arrow under the word, and one arm can grow an extension above it.

Throw-up. Often a lowercase y: a small cup with a long tail.

Old English. The blackletter Y has a curling left arm and a long, descending tail with a hairline flourish.

Common mistakes with a graffiti Y

Short arms. The Y then looks like a T or a V.
A junction set too low. The arms take over and the Y reads as a V on a stub.
A thin stem. Once the arms are thickened, a thin stem looks like it cannot hold them up.

Uppercase or lowercase Y?

A lowercase y has a descender that drops below the line, ending in a curl or a straight tail. It can hook under the letters before it like a j.

Adding arrows to a Y

The end of the stem is the usual arrow spot. The right arm can also stretch into an arrow above the word. See how whole words lock together in wildstyle.

Making a Y flow in a word

The stem can curl under the rest of the word like a J hook. Y often ends names (Jay, Ruby, Harry, Joy), so its stem can sweep under the whole word as a base. At the start (Yara, Yes), the arms can wrap around the next letter. In "AY" and "EY", let the previous letter lean into the V.

Want to see it with your own name? Type it into the graffiti letter generator, or learn the whole process step by step in how to draw graffiti.

Practice words with Y

Tap one to see it in graffiti, then draw it yourself.

Write your name in graffiti

Open the generator

Questions people ask

Can the tail of a graffiti Y go under the whole word?

Yes, especially when the Y is the last letter. Drop the stem below the baseline and curl it back to the left under the other letters, like a J hook. Keep it thick enough to carry a 3D block, and stop it before the first letter so the word still has a clean start.

How do you draw a lowercase y in graffiti?

Draw a small V and continue its right arm down below the line into a curl or a point. Bubble it and let the tail sweep under the word. If the y ends a name, the tail can run back under every letter as a base for the whole piece.

How do you draw a bubble letter Y?

Draw a fat V-shaped top with rounded arms and a short, round stem under it, like a slingshot. Pinch it where the arms meet the stem, keep the top gap open, then outline it in one line. Add the shadow under the arms and the stem.

Can I download these graffiti Y letters?

Yes. They are free for personal use, such as school work, social media and gifts. For a transparent PNG or an SVG, make the Y in the generator. For commercial use, see the image license.