Roman Numeral Converter
Convert numbers to Roman numerals and vice-versa.
Number to Roman
Roman to Number
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. Numbers in this system are represented by combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet.
The seven basic symbols are I, V, X, L, C, D and M. Each symbol has a fixed integer value:
| Symbol | Value |
|---|---|
| I | 1 |
| V | 5 |
| X | 10 |
| L | 50 |
| C | 100 |
| D | 500 |
| M | 1000 |
Rules for Formation:
- Repetition: A symbol can be repeated up to three times to multiply its value (e.g., III = 3, XXX = 30). V, L, and D are never repeated.
- Addition: If a symbol of smaller value is placed after a symbol of larger value, their values are added (e.g., VI = 5 + 1 = 6, LX = 50 + 10 = 60).
- Subtraction: If a symbol of smaller value is placed before a symbol of larger value, the smaller value is subtracted from the larger one. This rule applies to only a few specific combinations: IV (4), IX (9), XL (40), XC (90), CD (400), and CM (900).
- No more than three identical symbols in a row: Except for M, you won't see IIII or XXXX.
- Limited Subtraction: Only I, X, and C can be used as subtractive prefixes. I can only precede V and X. X can only precede L and C. C can only precede D and M.
This converter handles numbers from 1 to 3999, as traditional Roman numerals do not have a standard way to represent larger numbers.