4 in Roman numerals
4 in Roman numerals
IV
4 is written IV in Roman numerals. That is 1 symbol group added together, reading left to right from the largest value down.
How it breaks down
| Group | Value | Subtraction | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| IV | 4 | V − I | 4 |
Why the smaller symbol comes first
IV uses subtractive notation in one place: IV means V minus I, or 4. A smaller symbol placed before a larger one is subtracted from it rather than added, which is why IX is nine and not eleven.
Only six such pairs are valid — IV, IX, XL, XC, CD and CM. That restriction is what makes the notation unambiguous: IIII and IC both look like they should work, but neither is standard, and only one spelling of any number is correct.
The symbols
| Symbol | Value | Used here |
|---|---|---|
| I | 1 | yes — 1× |
| V | 5 | yes — 1× |
| X | 10 | no |
| L | 50 | no |
| C | 100 | no |
| D | 500 | no |
| M | 1,000 | no |
The same number, other ways
- In words
- Four
- Roman numeral
- IV
- Symbol count
- 2 characters
- Binary
- 100
- Hexadecimal
- 4
The numbers either side
| Number | Roman numeral |
|---|---|
| 2 | II |
| 3 | III |
| 4 | IV ← |
| 5 | V |
| 6 | VI |
Common questions
- What is 4 in Roman numerals?
- 4 is IV.
- What does IV mean?
- IV is the Roman numeral for 4 — 4.
- How do you write 4 in Roman numerals?
- Take the largest value that fits and repeat until nothing is left: IV (4). That gives IV.
Related pages
Sources
- Calculated on this page — At One Place