kursief

Kursief is a typographic style in which the letters are slanted to the right. In Dutch typography, the term kursief denotes what in English is called italic type. Kursief is commonly used to indicate emphasis, to mark foreign words, or to denote titles of works when they appear within running text. It can also serve to distinguish specific terms, such as scientific names or quotes, depending on house style.

The origins trace to early modern typography in Italy around the turn of the 16th century. The Aldine press in Venice introduced true italic typefaces, designed by Francesco Griffo for Aldus Manutius, based on a cursive humanist hand. These designs were lighter and more compact than roman types, enabling more text on a page. From there kursief/italic typography spread across Europe and evolved into many families.

In typography, italic can be either a true italic, with distinct letterforms, or an oblique, which is simply a slanted version of the roman design. Modern fonts may include both. The use of kursief or italic varies by language and style guide; some contexts prefer italic only for emphasis, others for titles or foreign words.

In Dutch usage, kursief is widely used to emphasize words or phrases, to set book and article titles, and to mark non-native terms. Punctuation conventions generally place commas and periods outside or inside the italic text according to local typographic rules. With digital typesetting, kursief is implemented through font software, enabling consistent slanting without altering body size.