Converters
Roman Numeral Converter
Type a number or a Roman numeral and the other field converts as you type.
Processed on your device — nothing is sent anywhere.
Works in your browser. No account needed.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Roman numeral symbols and their values?
There are seven: I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500 and M = 1000. Every numeral is built from these, largest first, using six subtractive pairs for the fours and nines: IV = 4, IX = 9, XL = 40, XC = 90, CD = 400 and CM = 900.
How do I read a long numeral like MCMXCIV?
Split it into place-value chunks from the left, using the subtractive pairs where a smaller symbol sits before a larger one: M (1000) + CM (900) + XC (90) + IV (4) = 1994. The same method reads MMXXVI as MM (2000) + XX (20) + VI (6) = 2026, and MDCCLXXVI as 1000 + 700 + 70 + 6 = 1776.
How do I write this year and other common years?
2026 is MMXXVI, 2025 is MMXXV and 2024 is MMXXIV. Earlier years that come up often: 1990 is MCMXC, 1999 is MCMXCIX and 2000 is simply MM. For a full date, convert day, month and year separately — 14 February 2026 is XIV · II · MMXXVI.
Why is 4 written as IV and not IIII?
Standard notation uses subtraction: I before V means 5 minus 1, which keeps numerals short and unambiguous — so 9 is IX and 40 is XL. The converter therefore rejects IIII. You will still see IIII on many clock faces, a long-standing design tradition rather than an error, and in some Roman inscriptions, where the rules were looser than today’s standard.
What counts as a valid Roman numeral?
Only I, V, X, L, C, D and M, in descending order, with I, X, C and M repeated at most three times in a row and V, L and D never repeated. Subtraction is only allowed in the six standard pairs, so 99 is XCIX, not IC, and 45 is XLV, not VL. Anything that breaks these rules is flagged with an explanation instead of being converted.
Why is the range limited to 1 to 3999?
With M repeated at most three times, the largest standard numeral is MMMCMXCIX = 3999. Larger numbers historically used a bar over a symbol to multiply it by 1000 — V̄ for 5000 — but that notation is outside the modern standard and rarely understood. There is also no Roman numeral for zero or for negative numbers.
About this tool
Both fields are live: type 1994 and MCMXCIV appears; type MCMXCIV and 1994 appears. The converter covers 1 to 3999, the full range of standard Roman numerals, and validates what you type — a numeral that breaks the rules, such as IIII, VV or IC, gets an error message rather than a best guess, which makes the tool useful for checking an engraving or tattoo design before it becomes permanent.
Quick reference. Units: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX. Tens: X, XX, XXX, XL, L, LX, LXX, LXXX, XC. Hundreds: C, CC, CCC, CD, D, DC, DCC, DCCC, CM. Thousands: M, MM, MMM. Any number from 1 to 3999 is its thousands, hundreds, tens and units written from these rows in that order — 3888 is MMM + DCCC + LXXX + VIII = MMMDCCCLXXXVIII, the longest numeral in the range at 15 letters.
Roman numerals are still in everyday use: copyright years in film and TV credits, Super Bowl numbers (Super Bowl LX was played in February 2026), monarchs and popes (Charles III, Leo XIV), book volumes and chapter numbers, the preface pages of books in lowercase (i, ii, iii, iv), outlines and legal clauses, clock and watch faces, and dates in tattoos and wedding engravings.
For dates, choose a separator and keep it consistent — dots, middle dots or slashes are all common: IV · VII · MMXXVI is 4 July 2026 in day-month-year order. Decide the order before converting, because VII · IV could mean 7 April or 4 July depending on the convention. Each part is converted on its own; there is no way to write a full date as one numeral.