Roman Numeral Converter

Convert numbers to Roman numerals and back — type 2026 to get MMXXVI, or MCMXCIX to get 1999. It flags non-standard spellings, turns any date into Roman numerals (a favorite for tattoos), and has a 1–100 chart below. Free, right in your browser.

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Roman numerals
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Date in Roman numerals — a birthday, wedding date, or tattoo
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Convert it, check it, date it

Both directions with a breakdown • Flags non-standard numerals • Dates for tattoos • Nothing leaves your browser

How Roman numerals work

Roman numerals are the number system of ancient Rome, and they’re still around — on clock faces, in movie credits, after the names of kings and popes, and on a lot of tattoos. The whole system rests on seven symbols:

SymbolIVXLCDM
Value1510501005001000

You write the symbols from largest to smallest and add them up: VI = 5 + 1 = 6, and MMXXVI = 1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 1 = 2026. To remember the order, try “I Value Xylophones Like Cows Do Milk.”

Rules for writing Roman numerals

1. Subtraction. A smaller symbol placed before a larger one is subtracted, so no symbol has to appear four times in a row. There are exactly six such pairs: IV (4), IX (9), XL (40), XC (90), CD (400), and CM (900). That’s why 4 is IV rather than IIII. Other combinations aren’t allowed — 45 is XLV, not VL, and 99 is XCIX, not IC.

2. Repetition. I, X, C, and M can repeat up to three times in a row (III = 3, XXX = 30). V, L, and D never repeat — 10 is X, not VV.

3. Range. Standard Roman numerals cover 1 to 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX). For bigger numbers the Romans drew a bar over a symbol (a vinculum) to multiply it by 1,000. There’s no zero at all.

The converter above knows these rules: it will read a non-standard numeral like IIII or IC, point it out, and show you the correct form.

Roman numerals 1 to 10

1 = I, 2 = II, 3 = III, 4 = IV, 5 = V, 6 = VI, 7 = VII, 8 = VIII, 9 = IX, 10 = X.

Roman numerals chart 1–100

1I21XXI41XLI61LXI81LXXXI
2II22XXII42XLII62LXII82LXXXII
3III23XXIII43XLIII63LXIII83LXXXIII
4IV24XXIV44XLIV64LXIV84LXXXIV
5V25XXV45XLV65LXV85LXXXV
6VI26XXVI46XLVI66LXVI86LXXXVI
7VII27XXVII47XLVII67LXVII87LXXXVII
8VIII28XXVIII48XLVIII68LXVIII88LXXXVIII
9IX29XXIX49XLIX69LXIX89LXXXIX
10X30XXX50L70LXX90XC
11XI31XXXI51LI71LXXI91XCI
12XII32XXXII52LII72LXXII92XCII
13XIII33XXXIII53LIII73LXXIII93XCIII
14XIV34XXXIV54LIV74LXXIV94XCIV
15XV35XXXV55LV75LXXV95XCV
16XVI36XXXVI56LVI76LXXVI96XCVI
17XVII37XXXVII57LVII77LXXVII97XCVII
18XVIII38XXXVIII58LVIII78LXXVIII98XCVIII
19XIX39XXXIX59LIX79LXXIX99XCIX
20XX40XL60LX80LXXX100C

Tens, hundreds, and thousands

TensHundreds
10X100C
20XX200CC
30XXX300CCC
40XL400CD
50L500D
60LX600DC
70LXX700DCC
80LXXX800DCCC
90XC900CM
100C1000M

Thousands are just M’s: 1000 = M (from the Latin mille), 2000 = MM, and 3000 = MMM.

Years in Roman numerals

2026 is MMXXVI, 2025 is MMXXV, 2000 is simply MM, and 1999 is MCMXCIX — the long one you used to see at the end of movie credits. Some years people convert most often:

1950MCML1969MCMLXIX1976MCMLXXVI
1980MCMLXXX1990MCMXC1995MCMXCV
1999MCMXCIX2000MM2010MMX
2020MMXX2024MMXXIV2025MMXXV
2026MMXXVI2027MMXXVII2030MMXXX

Roman numeral dates and tattoos

A date in Roman numerals is simply three conversions in a row — month, day, and year — joined by a separator. The order is the part people get wrong: in the US it’s month, day, year, so July 4, 1776 becomes VII.IV.MDCCLXXVI, while most of the rest of the world puts the day first: IV.VII.MDCCLXXVI. Dots are the classic choice; bullets (•) and dashes look clean in a tattoo too.

  • There’s no zero and no leading zero — the 5th is just V, never “0V”.
  • The year is where most mistakes happen, so check it twice: 1990 is MCMXC, 1995 is MCMXCV, 2005 is MMV.
  • Give your artist the numerals as printed text, not a handwritten note.

The date converter above builds the whole thing for you in any order and with any separator.

Where you still see Roman numerals

Look at almost any Roman numeral clock and you’ll spot a quirk: the four is usually IIII, not IV. Beyond clocks, Roman numerals number the Super Bowl (2026 was Super Bowl LX), kings and popes (Charles III, Leo XIV), movie sequels, book chapters, and the preface pages of books (in lowercase: i, ii, iii). You’ll also find them carved into buildings with the year they were finished — and, more and more, in tattoos of birthdays and wedding dates.

Tip: to spell a message in dots and dashes instead, use the Morse code translator — it plays the result as audio, too.

Roman numerals FAQ

Writing 4, the year 2026, zero, the largest numeral, clocks, and tattoo dates.

How do you write 4 in Roman numerals?

4 is IV — I (one) placed before V (five) means five minus one. The same subtraction rule gives 9 = IX, 40 = XL, 90 = XC, 400 = CD, and 900 = CM. The one common exception is clock faces, which traditionally show IIII.

What is 2026 in Roman numerals?

2026 is MMXXVI: MM = 2000, XX = 20, and VI = 6. For comparison, 2025 is MMXXV, 2000 is simply MM, and 1999 is MCMXCIX. Type any year into the converter above to see it broken down the same way.

Is there a zero in Roman numerals?

No. The Roman system had no symbol for zero, and it didn’t need one — it doesn’t use place value the way our digits do. Medieval scholars who had to write a zero in their tables used the Latin word nulla (“none”), sometimes shortened to N.

What is the largest Roman numeral?

With the standard symbols, the largest number you can write is 3,999 — MMMCMXCIX — because M can repeat only three times. For bigger values the Romans drew a bar over a numeral (a vinculum), which multiplies it by 1,000: V with a bar is 5,000, and M with a bar is 1,000,000.

Why do clocks use IIII instead of IV?

Mostly tradition. IIII balances the VIII on the opposite side of the dial, and the Romans themselves often wrote four as IIII — the subtractive IV became the standard only later. Not every clock follows it, though: the dials of Big Ben use IV.

How do I write a date in Roman numerals for a tattoo?

Convert the month, day, and year separately and join them with dots, bullets, or dashes. In US order, July 4, 1996 becomes VII.IV.MCMXCVI; most other countries put the day first, which gives IV.VII.MCMXCVI. The date converter above does all three parts at once — double-check the year before you book the artist.

Is this Roman numeral converter free and private?

Yes. It’s free, there’s nothing to sign up for, and every conversion happens in your browser — the numbers and dates you type are never sent anywhere.

Want to hide a message in dots and dashes? The Morse code translator converts English to Morse and back.