---
title: "4 in Roman numerals is IV"
description: "4 in Roman numerals is IV, written as 4. How it breaks down, how to write it, and the numbers either side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/4/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

*IV = 4 = 4*

| 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

- [2 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/2/)
- [3 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/3/)
- [5 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/5/)
- [6 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/6/)
- [9 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/9/)
- [14 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/14/)
- [19 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/19/)
- [40 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/40/)
- [42 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/42/)
- [49 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/49/)
- [50 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/50/)
- [64 in Roman numerals](https://atoneplace.net/roman-numerals/64/)

## Sources

- Calculated on this page — At One Place (/about/)