Roman Numerals Converter — Easy as I, II, III (2024)

Whether you're trying to decipher an ancient Latin text or you just want to add the year on your high school jacket, our Roman numerals converter has you covered. Knowing how to convert numbers to Roman numerals and back can be a surprisingly handy trick for historians, mathematicians, astrologists, and even lawmakers.

So, whether you'd like to learn how to read Roman numerals or just want to consult a Roman numerals chart, you're in the right place with our Roman numerals generator. I know that $\textrm{I}$I, for one, ❤️ Roman numerals!

We see Roman numerals everywhere — clocks, musical chords, historical dates, legal documents, astronomy, and even football team names. But what are they, where do they come from, and how do they work?

The Roman numeral number system represents numeric values with letters of the Latin alphabet. You can take a look at the chart further down to see how they correspond.

The Roman numeral system arose in ancient Rome and was used in most of Europe until the Middle Ages. It was primarily used to count with, so it has no representation for negative numbers (as these can't be used to describe a discrete number of objects); nor for the number zero, as everyday people hadn't even thought of these concepts yet.

If you're in a hurry and just need to convert a number to Roman numerals, look no further than the Roman numerals converter. Here's how to use it:

1. Enter the number you'd like to convert to Roman numerals. Because Roman numerals can't represent fractions, the number zero, negative numbers, or numbers above 3,999,999, the Roman numerals generator will reject such inputs.

2. The Roman numerals calculator will determine your number's equivalent Roman numeral and display it below.

3. If your number has a complicated Roman numeral, we'll also break it down with an explanation.

If you'd still like to know how to read Roman numerals better than even our Roman numerals converter can, you should keep reading!

The numerals in the above chart are just the building blocks. You can combine them to create any integer you can think of — within the limits we've established, of course. Let's see how this is done!

Our everyday number system of Arabic numerals uses a place-value system, meaning a digit's position in a number determines how much it's worth. For example, the digit "2" represents a value of 2 in 42, whereas it represents 20 in the number 123.

In contrast, the Roman numerals all have fixed values. $\textrm{V}$V always means 5, and $\textrm{M}$M always means 1,000 — regardless of where they're placed in the string of Roman numerals. Instead, the numerals must be combined to represent intermediary values with the help of addition and subtraction:

• When two numerals are side-by-side, and the first is of equal or greater value than the second, their values are added together.

  • $\textrm{I}$I (1) combines with itself to create $\textrm{II}$II (2).

  • $\textrm{V}$V (5) and $\textrm{I}$I (1) combine to create $\textrm{VI}$VI (6).

  • $\textrm{C}$C (100) and three $\textrm{X}$X's (each 10) combine to create $\textrm{CXXX}$CXXX (130).

• When the first letter of a numeral pair has a lesser value than the second, the first subtracts from the second.

  • $\textrm{I}$I (1) and $\textrm{V}$V (5) combine to create $\textrm{IV}$IV (4).

  • $\textrm{X}$X (10) and $\textrm{C}$C (100) combine to create $\textrm{XC}$XC (90).

Here are a few easy numbers converted to Roman numbers from 1 to 1000 for you to sink your teeth into — see if you can make sense of them!

The pattern continues for larger numbers. 2,000 is $\textrm{MM}$MM, 3,000 is $\textrm{MMM}$MMM, 4,000 is $\textrm{M}\overline{\textrm{V}}$MV, and so on.

I can hear you asking — How do I convert a more complex number to Roman numerals? What is 2021 in Roman numerals, for example? Jump over to the next section to find out!

If we want to convert a number that has more than one significant digit (like 365 or 2021), we can follow a simple formula:

• Express the number as a sum of its place values.

  • $365 = 300 + 60 + 5$365=300+60+5;
  • $2021 = 2,000 + 20 + 1$2021=2,000+20+1 (notice that we ignore the zero between the two $2$2's!)

• Convert each value in the sum to its Roman numeral. It's easy with the table above!

  • For $365$365:
    • $300\rightarrow\textrm{CCC}$300→CCC
    • $60\rightarrow\textrm{LX}$60→LX
    • $5\rightarrow\textrm{V}$5→V
  • For $2021$2021:
    • $2,000\rightarrow\textrm{MM}$2,000→MM
    • $20\rightarrow\textrm{XX}$20→XX
    • $1\rightarrow\textrm{I}$1→I

• Put the symbols together to convert your number to Roman numerals.

  • $365\rightarrow\textrm{CCC}\cdot\textrm{LX}\cdot\textrm{V}\rightarrow\textrm{CCCLXV}$365→CCC⋅LX⋅V→CCCLXV

  • $2021\rightarrow\textrm{MM}\cdot\textrm{XX}\cdot\textrm{I}\rightarrow\textrm{MMXXI}$2021→MM⋅XX⋅I→MMXXI

If you're still having trouble understanding our Roman ancestors' number system, playing around with our Roman numerals calculator (even just for $\textrm{X}$X minutes) will get you there!

XXXVII is the Roman numeral for 37. It's constructed of

1. XXX (30);
2. V (5); and
3. II (2),

which are all added together to result in 30 + 5 + 2 = 37. This particular Roman numeral XXXVII commonly refers to a titanic Super Bowl match that occurred in early 2003.

1980 in Roman numerals is MCMLXXX. It's constructed of

1. M (1000);
2. CM (900); and
3. LXXX (80).

1984 in Roman numerals is MCMLXXXIV. It's constructed of

1. M (1000);
2. CM (900);
3. LXXX (80); and
4. IV (4).