How to write the question mark

In what direction is the question mark written? Are both ticks written from left to right? And which is written first, the one that looks like a backslash () or the one that looks like a slash (/)?

Another character I am unsure of is the one that denotes a proper noun and looks like an equals sign (=). Are the ticks written from left to right? I used to write them from up to down until I saw they were more horizontal in some texts.


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  1. I'd write the capitalization marks from left to right. As for the question mark, I'm not sure; but the same x shape is used for a period in Pitman, and some Pitman writers write the from top to bottom and the / from bottom to top. When they're a bit careless, the result looks like a cursive gamma (sort of like a y with a loop at the bottom). That order would seem to me to be the most efficient. Any other opinions on this?

    1. Cap marks are written left to right, so they go down-up since they are slanted.

      The question mark is written just like an x. I write the \ left to right and the / right to left.

    2. I used to write the question mark just like an x, with both strokes written downward. After I saw the Pitman examples with the loop at the bottom, I tried writing it the way I described above, with both strokes written left to right. That seemed more efficient, so I've continued to use it. (I never write a loop, though.)

    1. I'd think it should be written that way. To write the dash first would be awkward. Writing the parenthesis first would also be in line with other ways people write. For instance, people who cross their 7s and Zs write the 7 or Z before the dash that crosses it. In handwritten print, you write the downstroke of a t or f before crossing it with the horizontal stroke.

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