Roman Numeral Converter

Understanding Roman Numerals

Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. They are based on combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet: I, V, X, L, C, D, and M.

How Roman Numerals Work

Roman numerals are written by combining the following letters and their values:

• I: 1
• V: 5
• X: 10
• L: 50
• C: 100
• D: 500
• M: 1000

The numerals are usually written in descending order from left to right. However, in a few specific cases, a smaller numeral can precede a larger numeral to indicate subtraction. For example:

• IV: 4 (5 - 1)
• IX: 9 (10 - 1)
• XL: 40 (50 - 10)
• XC: 90 (100 - 10)
• CD: 400 (500 - 100)
• CM: 900 (1000 - 100)

Examples

Example 1

MCMLIV:
M = 1000
CM = 900
L = 50
IV = 4
Total: 1000 + 900 + 50 + 4 = 1954

Example 2

MMXXI:
M = 1000
M = 1000
X = 10
X = 10
I = 1
Total: 1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 + 1 = 2021

Popular Usages

• Clocks and Watches: Roman numerals are often used on clock faces.
• Book Chapters and Movie Sequels: They are commonly used to denote chapters, volumes, and sequels (e.g., Chapter IV, Rocky II).
• Monuments and Buildings: Many monuments and buildings have their construction dates inscribed in Roman numerals.
• Super Bowls: The NFL uses Roman numerals to number the Super Bowl games (e.g., Super Bowl LIII).
• Royalty and Popes: Roman numerals are used to distinguish between monarchs and popes with the same name (e.g., Queen Elizabeth II, Pope John Paul II).

Understanding Roman numerals can be useful in various contexts, from reading historical documents to interpreting modern-day references. Use our Roman Numeral Converter to quickly convert between Roman numerals and numbers.