How to Draw Curly Brackets | Three Working Methods

Curly brackets can be created by hand using a fluid arm stroke, typed in software via the symbols menu, or generated programmatically with libraries like Python’s curlyBrace — the right method depends entirely on where you need the bracket to appear.

Drawing curly brackets trips up everyone the first time — the tips come out jagged, the curves look lopsided, and the software menus hide the symbol deeper than you’d expect. Whether you’re writing math notation on paper, formatting a document in Word, or annotating a plot in Python, each situation needs a different approach. Here’s how each one actually looks in practice.

Drawing Curly Brackets By Hand (Math Notation & Sketches)

The best hand method uses a single continuous stroke guided by your arm, not your wrist. Wrist-only drawing produces the tight, jagged lines that make amateur brackets stand out — the arm’s larger motion keeps the curve smooth.

Start with the “Loop” method: Begin at the top left, draw a clockwise loop moving right (like the top half of an infinity symbol), then drop a vertical line down the right side. At the bottom, loop counterclockwise back to the left, and curve inward to meet the center tip. The result is one continuous, S-shaped bracket with a pointed middle.

The “Long S” variant works the same way but separates the two halves — draw an S shape, then draw its mirror below, and connect the top and bottom with a vertical line on the outside.

Common mistakes: failing to curve the inner tips inward toward the center point (produces a square corner instead of a tip), and drawing disconnected loops that don’t meet cleanly at the bracket’s center. Loosen the grip and keep the stroke fluid — you can always erase a wobble, but a stiff line can’t be saved by erasing.

Typing Curly Brackets In Word, Docs, And Design Software

Most people searching for “how to draw curly brackets” actually mean “how to type them in my document.” The default keyboard key works for single brackets, but you need the symbols menu for cases like grouping multiple lines.

In Microsoft Word on Windows or Mac, go to Insert > Symbols > More Symbols. Set the font to Basic Latin and the subset to Basic Latin. Select the left curly bracket ({) then Insert, repeat for the right bracket (}). This is available in Office 365 and Office 2024 — a subscription or standalone license is required.

In Google Docs, the cleanest workaround is a two-column table with invisible borders. Type the bracket in column one, your content in column two, then set the table border color to white or transparent. This works on any OS (Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS) and is entirely free via any web browser.

In Adobe Illustrator for digital art or layout work, type the bracket characters using the regular symbols font, then convert them to outlines and adjust the tip position with the Direct Selection tool. The bracket is not a single adjustable path by default — you manually nudge the control points to change its height or width. A Creative Cloud subscription runs about $23 per month as of 2026. Adobe’s community forum discusses how to add a variable-length straight section to match your desired span.

Programmatic Curly Brackets (Python & Processing)

If you’re writing code and need curly brackets to annotate a chart or define a shape, the approach depends on whether you need the bracket as a visual element (on a graph) or a code syntax element (defining blocks).

For Python charts in Matplotlib, the third-party library curlyBrace version 1.0.1 lets you draw a bracket between two coordinate points with one class import. It’s free and open source, works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and pairs with any Matplotlib figure. Import the library, call curlyBrace(start_point, end_point), and the bracket renders between those coordinates — useful for labeling gaps or ranges on a plot.

For custom drawing in Processing (the Java-based creative coding environment, version 4.x as of 2026), you build the bracket using two cubic bezier curves that mirror each other. The bezier handles control the curve’s width and tip sharpness — start the first curve at the top, end at the bottom, and place the second curve’s control points to form the mirrored tip. This is free, open source, and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.

Why The Method You Choose Matters

These three routes aren’t interchangeable — using the wrong one wastes time or produces an incorrect result.

Hand-drawing is the only option when you’re working on a physical whiteboard, blackboard, or notebook. Typing via the symbols menu is the fastest route for Word, Docs, or Pages documents, especially when you need to match font and line weight exactly. Programmatic methods are the only clean choice when the bracket is part of a data visualization or an interactive sketch — drawing by hand won’t scale to a chart with 20 brackets.