Roman Numeral Converter

Convert numbers to Roman numerals and Roman numerals back to numbers.

Number to Roman Numeral

Roman Numeral to Number

How Roman numerals work

Seven letters represent fixed values: I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, M=1000. Numerals are normally written largest to smallest, added together (VI = 5+1 = 6). When a smaller value appears immediately before a larger one, it's subtracted instead (IV = 5−1 = 4), which keeps no symbol repeated more than three times in a row.

Why the 3,999 limit

Standard Roman numerals repeat symbols to build up values, and M (1,000) is the largest single letter — so 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX) is the largest number expressible without inventing extra notation. Numbers above that historically used a bar (vinculum) over a numeral to multiply it by 1,000, which isn't supported here.

Only one valid Roman numeral spelling exists for each number in the standard system — this converter checks that a numeral round-trips correctly before accepting it, catching invalid forms like "IIII" or "VX".

Common questions

Is "IIII" ever correct for 4?

Not in the standard system used here (which uses "IV") — though "IIII" does appear traditionally on some clock faces for visual symmetry.

Can Roman numerals represent zero or negative numbers?

No — the classical system has no symbol for zero and no notation for negative values.

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