Roman numerals
Roman numerals use seven symbols. Every number from 1 to 3,999 is built by adding them left to right, largest first, with six exceptions where a smaller symbol comes first and is subtracted instead.
The seven symbols
| Symbol | Value |
|---|---|
| I | 1 |
| V | 5 |
| X | 10 |
| L | 50 |
| C | 100 |
| D | 500 |
| M | 1,000 |
The six subtractive pairs
| Pair | Value | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| IV | 4 | V − I |
| IX | 9 | X − I |
| XL | 40 | L − X |
| XC | 90 | C − X |
| CD | 400 | D − C |
| CM | 900 | M − C |
The system stops at 3,999 here because larger numbers need a vinculum — a bar drawn over a numeral to multiply it by a thousand — which has no settled plain-text form.
Commonly looked up
- 4 in Roman numerals IV
- 9 in Roman numerals IX
- 14 in Roman numerals XIV
- 19 in Roman numerals XIX
- 40 in Roman numerals XL
- 42 in Roman numerals XLII
- 49 in Roman numerals XLIX
- 50 in Roman numerals L
- 64 in Roman numerals LXIV
- 90 in Roman numerals XC
- 99 in Roman numerals XCIX
- 100 in Roman numerals C
- 400 in Roman numerals CD
- 500 in Roman numerals D
- 900 in Roman numerals CM
- 1,000 in Roman numerals M
- 1,492 in Roman numerals MCDXCII
- 1,776 in Roman numerals MDCCLXXVI
- 1,900 in Roman numerals MCM
- 1,969 in Roman numerals MCMLXIX
- 1,984 in Roman numerals MCMLXXXIV
- 1,999 in Roman numerals MCMXCIX
- 2,000 in Roman numerals MM
- 2,024 in Roman numerals MMXXIV
- 2,025 in Roman numerals MMXXV
- 3,999 in Roman numerals MMMCMXCIX
Common questions
- Why is 4 written IV and not IIII?
- Because standard notation never repeats a symbol four times. Placing I before V subtracts it, giving 4 in two characters instead of four. Clock faces are the well-known exception and often use IIII for visual balance.
- Is there a Roman numeral for zero?
- No. The system has no symbol for zero and no concept of it as a number — Roman numerals record quantities, and a quantity of nothing was simply not written.
- What is the largest Roman numeral?
- In standard plain notation, 3,999 — MMMCMXCIX. Beyond that a vinculum over a numeral multiplies it by a thousand, but that requires an overbar rather than ordinary letters.
Sources
- Calculated on this page — At One Place