Roman Numeral Converter
Convert any number from 1 to 3999 to Roman numerals (and back). Shows the breakdown of how the Roman numeral is constructed. Roman numerals are used in clocks, book chapters, movies (copyright years), Super Bowl numbers, and academic notation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the basic Roman numeral symbols?+
I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, M=1000. Subtractive rules: IV=4, IX=9, XL=40, XC=90, CD=400, CM=900. No symbol is repeated more than 3 times consecutively.
Why is there no 0 in Roman numerals?+
Roman numerals were developed for counting and commerce — there was no concept of "nothing" to express. The concept of zero as a number was developed independently in India (by Brahmagupta, ~628 CE) and in Mesoamerica, centuries after Roman numerals were established.
What is the largest Roman numeral?+
Standard Roman numerals go up to 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX). For larger numbers, a bar over a symbol means ×1,000, so V̄ = 5,000, M̄ = 1,000,000. However, this extended system is rarely used in modern contexts.