The nib is the soul of a fountain pen. Everything else — the barrel, the filling system, the ink — serves it. Choose the right nib and the pen becomes an extension of your hand; choose the wrong one and even a beautifully made pen can feel uncomfortable and unrewarding. The good news is that choosing a nib isn't complicated once you know what the options actually mean.
This guide covers everything: what nib sizes are, how Japanese and European nibs differ, when to consider specialist nibs like italic and stub, and what to think about if you're left-handed. By the end, you'll know exactly which nib to reach for.
What does the nib actually do?
A fountain pen nib is a thin piece of metal — almost always steel or gold — with a slit running from its tip to a small breather hole partway up. Ink travels through this slit via capillary action and is deposited onto the paper as you write. The tip itself is tipped with a tiny bead of extremely hard metal (often an iridium alloy) that does the actual writing — this tipping material is what you feel and what determines the smoothness of the writing experience.
The width of that tip is what determines nib size, and nib size is what determines line width. A broader tip puts more ink down; a finer tip puts less. Both have their uses, and neither is objectively better. It depends entirely on how you write.
Standard nib sizes
The standard sizes run across a spectrum from Extra Fine to Extra Broad. Here is what each actually means in practice.
EF — Extra Fine
Line width approximately 0.3–0.4mm. The finest standard nib available from most manufacturers, and the closest thing fountain pens offer to the precision of a fine-tip technical pen. Extra Fine nibs suit very small, neat handwriting — the kind of writing that fills a page efficiently and needs tight letterforms to remain legible. They also dry faster than broader nibs, which makes them a practical choice for anyone who tends to smudge wet ink. The trade-off is that EF nibs can feel slightly scratchy on cheaper paper, and they show less of the shading and sheen that make certain inks beautiful. If you write in a small hand and want neat, precise lines, EF is worth considering — but try before you commit, as not everyone gets on with very fine nibs.
F — Fine
Line width approximately 0.4–0.6mm. The most popular nib size, and the one we recommend most often to newcomers. A Fine nib produces a line that feels familiar — close to what you'd get from a quality ballpoint or rollerball — while still allowing the ink's character to come through. It suits average-to-small handwriting, dries quickly enough not to frustrate, and works well on a wide range of papers. If you're not sure what you want, start with a Fine and adjust from there.
M — Medium
Line width approximately 0.6–0.8mm. Medium nibs write noticeably wetter than Fine nibs — more ink on the page, a broader stroke, a longer dry time. This isn't a disadvantage; it's a different aesthetic. Medium nibs are where ink properties like shading (the variation in tone across a single stroke) and sheen (a second colour visible where ink pools) become truly visible. If you're drawn to the beauty of fountain pen inks and want to experience them fully, a Medium nib shows you considerably more than a Fine will. Medium nibs suit average-to-large handwriting and feel generous and smooth. They are also more forgiving on imperfect paper.
B — Broad
Line width approximately 0.8–1.0mm. Broad nibs are for confident, expansive handwriting — signatures, headers, journaling with large letterforms. They write very wetly and very smoothly, delivering a flowing line that makes ink look genuinely beautiful on good paper. They are not suited to small writing, tight notebooks, or anyone who needs to fit a lot onto a page. But for expressive writing and for showing off an exceptional ink, nothing beats a good Broad nib. Broad nibs need quality paper — feathering and bleed-through become more likely as nibs get wetter, so a fountain pen-friendly notebook matters more at this width.
BB — Double Broad (and beyond)
Line width approximately 1.0–1.2mm. Double Broad and beyond are specialist sizes, less commonly available than EF through B, and primarily of interest to those who write with very large script, collect pens, or want something deliberately expressive. If you're reading this guide as a beginner, you won't need one yet — but they're worth knowing about.
The most important thing most guides don't tell you: Japanese and European nibs are different sizes
There is no international standard for fountain pen nib sizes. Every manufacturer interprets "Fine" or "Medium" according to their own tradition, and the difference between Japanese and European pens is significant enough that it changes which size you should choose.
Japanese nibs run consistently finer than European nibs of the same designation. A Japanese Fine nib writes approximately the same line width as a European Extra Fine. A Japanese Medium is broadly equivalent to a European Fine. This is not a quirk or a quality issue — it reflects the different writing traditions the pens were designed for. Japanese script requires fine, precise marks; European cursive traditionally uses broader strokes.
In practical terms: if you buy a Lamy Safari (European) in Fine and a Pilot Metropolitan (Japanese) in Fine, the Pilot will write a noticeably narrower line. Neither is wrong — but if you're comparing pens across brands, or wondering why your new Japanese pen writes so much more finely than your last one, this is why.
As a rough guide, if you're buying a Japanese pen and you'd normally choose Fine in a European pen, go up to Medium. If you'd choose Medium in European, consider Medium or Broad in Japanese. And if you prefer very fine lines and you're buying Japanese, an Extra Fine will be genuinely very fine indeed — precise, but potentially scratchy on ordinary paper.
Steel nibs and gold nibs: does it matter?
The material a nib is made from is worth understanding, though it's frequently misunderstood.
Most fountain pens in the beginner and intermediate price range use stainless steel nibs. Steel nibs are durable, corrosion-resistant, and when well-made, write beautifully. The Lamy Safari, Kaweco Sport, TWSBI Eco, and Pilot Metropolitan all have steel nibs — and all of them are excellent writers. Steel should not be treated as an inferior material.
Gold nibs — found in more expensive pens — are softer and slightly springier than steel, which gives them a characteristic cushioned feel under the hand. This springiness is often described as "feedback" or "bounce," and whether you like it is a matter of personal taste. Gold nibs do not write more smoothly than steel nibs because of the gold — smoothness comes from the tipping material, which is the same hard metal alloy in both cases. What gold does is change how the nib feels to hold and write with.
The number on a gold nib — 14k, 18k, 21k — refers to gold purity, not quality. 14k nibs (sometimes marked 585) are 58.5% gold; 18k nibs (marked 750) are 75% gold. Higher gold content makes the nib softer and slightly more flexible. Japanese makers like Sailor offer 21k nibs, which are exceptionally soft and springy. Again, none of this determines smoothness — that's down to the tipping and the quality of finishing.
For beginners: start with steel. If you try a gold nib later and love the feel, wonderful — but you won't be missing anything by starting with a well-made steel nib.
Specialist nibs: when a round tip isn't enough
Standard nibs have a round tip, which produces a consistent line width regardless of the direction you write. Specialist nibs change that — they produce lines whose width varies depending on the stroke direction, creating a more expressive, calligraphic quality. Here are the ones worth knowing about.
Italic nibs
An italic nib has a flat, rectangular tip rather than a round one. When you write a downstroke, the full width of the nib contacts the paper, producing a broad line. When you write a horizontal cross-stroke, only the narrow edge contacts the paper, producing a thin line. The contrast between thick downstrokes and thin cross-strokes is what gives italic writing its distinctive, calligraphic appearance.
True italic nibs are unforgiving: they need to be held at a consistent angle and write more slowly than round nibs. They're not comfortable for extended everyday writing unless you specifically enjoy their constraints. Most factory-produced italic nibs are actually "cursive italics" or stubs — the corners are slightly rounded to make them more forgiving, at some cost to the crispness of the line variation. Lamy, TWSBI, and Kaweco all offer good italic options; a Lamy Safari with a 1.1mm italic nib is one of the most accessible ways to try the style.
Stub nibs
A stub nib is the gentler cousin of the italic. The tip is wider than it is tall — giving some line variation between downstrokes and cross-strokes — but the corners are rounded rather than flat, which makes writing considerably smoother and more forgiving. Stubs give your handwriting character and bring out the shading in inks beautifully, without demanding the precision of a true italic. They're a genuinely pleasant everyday option for anyone who wants more expressive writing without changing their handwriting style. If you're curious about line variation but not ready to commit to italic, start with a stub.
Fude nibs
A fude nib (from the Japanese word for brush) is bent upwards at an angle — typically 40 or 55 degrees. Writing with the tip of the bend produces a fine line; rolling the pen to write with the belly of the bend produces a dramatically broad line. Fude nibs were originally designed for Japanese calligraphy, but they've become popular with sketchers and artists who want line variation from a single pen. They take practice and feel unlike any other nib — but the results, once you've spent time with one, can be remarkable.
Music nibs
A music nib is a broad stub with two slits instead of one, designed to deliver a high volume of ink for writing musical notation where thick, consistent lines were required. In practice, music nibs are wide, wet, and wonderfully smooth — a joy on quality paper, and a way to make ink properties like sheen and shading visible at their most dramatic. Sailor's music nibs are among the finest examples and well worth seeking out when you're ready to explore.
Zoom nibs
The Sailor Zoom nib is a curiosity worth mentioning: a single nib that changes its effective width depending on the angle at which you hold the pen. Held at a steep angle, it writes fine; lowered to a shallow angle, it writes broad. It also offers an EF line when used upside down. The Zoom nib rewards experimentation and suits anyone who wants versatility from a single pen.
A note for left-handed writers
Left-handed writers sometimes worry that fountain pens won't suit them. This concern is largely unfounded, but there are a few things worth knowing.
The main practical challenge is smudging: because many left-handed writers move their hand across what they've just written, wet ink can transfer onto the side of the hand. The solutions are straightforward: use a finer nib (less ink on the page means faster drying), choose a faster-drying ink, or adjust your grip to an "underwriter" position where your hand stays below the writing line. Many left-handed fountain pen users find that a Fine or Extra Fine Japanese nib — which lays down a thin, relatively fast-drying line — suits them well.
You may have seen pens marketed as "left-handed." These typically have oblique nibs — ground so the tip slopes slightly to the left — designed for writers who rotate the pen anti-clockwise. They don't suit all left-handers, and they don't offer line variation. Most left-handed writers do perfectly well with a standard round-tipped nib in Fine or Extra Fine. If you're left-handed and new to fountain pens, start there and adjust if needed.
How nib size affects the inks you can enjoy
This is something many beginners don't realise until later: nib size affects how inks look on the page.
Finer nibs dry quickly and lay down relatively little ink, which means subtle ink properties — shading, sheen, shimmer — are less visible. An ink that shades beautifully from dark to light in a broad nib may look flat and uniform in an Extra Fine. Shimmering inks, where metallic particles catch the light, need wet nibs to show their full effect. Sheening inks, where a second colour appears where ink pools thickly, essentially need a Medium or broader to be visible at all.
This isn't a reason to avoid fine nibs — they have real advantages in legibility, drying time, and suitability for smaller paper. But if part of your motivation for getting into fountain pens is exploring beautiful inks, you'll want at least one Medium nib in your life.
Can I change the nib on my pen?
On many pens, yes — and this is one of the pleasures of the fountain pen world. Lamy is the most beginner-friendly in this regard: every steel-nibbed Lamy pen (Safari, AL-Star, Studio, and others) uses the same nib unit, which simply clips on and off. Trying a new size or style is a matter of pulling one nib off and pressing another on. Replacement Lamy nibs are inexpensive, stocked by The Journal Shop, and a satisfying way to experiment without buying an entirely new pen.
TWSBI pens also have interchangeable nibs, as do many Kaweco and Pilot models. The details vary by pen — if you're considering a specific model and want to know whether the nib is swappable, ask us. It's one of the questions we get most often and we're always happy to answer.
Which nib should you choose?
If you're new to fountain pens: start with Fine. It's the most versatile, the most forgiving, and the most likely to feel immediately comfortable. If you're buying a Japanese pen, go Medium — the Japanese Fine will be finer than you expect.
If you write very small or produce a lot of text quickly: Extra Fine, particularly from a Japanese brand.
If you're drawn to the visual richness of inks and care about seeing shading and colour: Medium or Broad.
If you want expressive, calligraphic writing without committing to italic technique: Stub.
If you're left-handed: Fine or Extra Fine, with a fast-drying ink.
And if you're not sure: come and ask us. Nib choice is the question we discuss most often with customers, and the answer is always worth taking the time to get right.
Where to start: browse our fountain pens and fountain pen inks at The Journal Shop.
