Roman Numerals

by Yogi P - December 20, 2024

What is Roman Numerals system?

Roman Numerals system is a unique system developed by the Romans, by combining additive and subtractive principles. In this numeral system, specific letters from the Latin alphabet are used to represent base numbers, which can be combined to express a wide range of numerical values.

For an example, XLVIII Roman numerals represent the number 48. Roman numerals continue to be used in various contexts, such as naming school classes (e.g., Class I, Class X) etc.

What Are Roman Numerals?

Roman numerals are an ancient numerical system that uses specific Latin letters to represent positive numbers. Some common Roman numerals include:

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X (1 to 10 in Arabic Numbers)
XI, XII, XIII, …, XX (It is 11 to 20 in Number system)

Below is the set of standard Roman numeral symbols and their values:

Symbol	Value
I	1
V	5
X	10
L	50
C	100
D	500
M	1000

Roman Numerals Chart (1 to 1000)

The chart below shows Roman numerals for key numbers, making it easier to learn and use this numeral system.

Roman Numerals from 1 to 100:

1	I	35	XXXV	69	LXIX
2	II	36	XXXVI	70	LXX
3	III	37	XXXVII	71	LXXI
4	IV	38	XXXVIII	72	LXXII
5	V	39	XXXIX	73	LXXIII
6	VI	40	XL	74	LXXIV
7	VII	41	XLI	75	LXXV
8	VIII	42	XLII	76	LXXVI
9	IX	43	XLIII	77	LXXVII
10	X	44	XLIV	78	LXXVIII
11	XI	45	XLV	79	LXXIX
12	XII	46	XLVI	80	LXXX
13	XIII	47	XLVII	81	LXXXI
14	XIV	48	XLVIII	82	LXXXII
15	XV	49	XLIX	83	LXXXIII
16	XVI	50	L	84	LXXXIV
17	XVII	51	LI	85	LXXXV
18	XVIII	52	LII	86	LXXXVI
19	XIX	53	LIII	87	LXXXVII
20	XX	54	LIV	88	LXXXVIII
21	XXI	55	LV	89	LXXXIX
22	XXII	56	LVI	90	XC
23	XXIII	57	LVII	91	XCI
24	XXIV	58	LVIII	92	XCII
25	XXV	59	LIX	93	XCIII
26	XXVI	60	LX	94	XCIV
27	XXVII	61	LXI	95	XCV
28	XXVIII	62	LXII	96	XCVI
29	XXIX	63	LXIII	97	XCVII
30	XXX	64	LXIV	98	XCVIII
31	XXXI	65	LXV	99	XCIX
32	XXXII	66	LXVI	100	C
33	XXXIII	67	LXVII
34	XXXIV	68	LXVIII

Simplified and easy-to-learn table of Roman numerals from 1 to 100, organized into blocks of tens with consistent grouping:

Roman numerals from 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 from 11 to 20

11	XI	12	XII	13	XIII
14	XIV	15	XV	16	XVI
17	XVII	18	XVIII	19	XIX
20	XX

Roman numerals from 21 to 30

21	XXI	22	XXII	23	XXIII
24	XXIV	25	XXV	26	XXVI
27	XXVII	28	XXVIII	29	XXIX
30	XXX

Roman numerals from 31 to 40

31	XXXI	32	XXXII	33	XXXIII
34	XXXIV	35	XXXV	36	XXXVI
37	XXXVII	38	XXXVIII	39	XXXIX
40	XL

Roman numerals from 41 to 50

41	XLI	42	XLII	43	XLIII
44	XLIV	45	XLV	46	XLVI
47	XLVII	48	XLVIII	49	XLIX
50	L

Roman numerals from 51 to 100 (by tens for simplicity)

51	LI	60	LX	70	LXX
80	LXXX	90	XC	100	C

This breakdown makes it easier to learn by focusing on smaller groups at a time.

Roman Numerals from 100 to 1000:

100	C	100
200	CC	100 + 100
300	CCC	100 + 100 + 100
400	CD	500 – 100
500	D	500
600	DC	500 + 100
700	DCC	500 + 100 + 100
800	DCCC	500 + 100 + 100 + 100
900	CM	1000 – 100
1000	M	1000

Roman Letters

While Roman letters use Latin alphabets, not all English alphabets are included. Only 23 of the 26 letters are considered Roman alphabets, excluding J, U, and W.

The Roman alphabets are:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, V, X, Y, Z.

For an example, we write the year 2026 in Roman numerals as MMXXVI.

Rules for Writing Roman Numerals

Roman numerals follow specific rules for representation:

Additive Rule: As per this the symbols are added together when a smaller symbol follows a larger symbol.
- Example: VI = 5 + 1 = 6
Subtractive Rule: As per this rule a smaller symbol is always placed before a larger one is subtracted.
- Example: IX = 10 – 1 = 9
Repetition Limit: As per this limit a symbol can only be repeated up to three times.
- Example: XXX = 30
Non-Repeating Symbols: As per this rule the Symbols V, L, and D are never repeated.
Allowed Subtractions:
- ‘I’ subtraction is only allowed from V and X only and
- ‘X’ can subtract from L, C, M, and D.

Conversion of Roman Numerals to Numbers

Rule 1: Adding Values

According to this rule, if symbols of smaller values follow larger values, their values are added.

Example: VII = 5 + 2 = 7

Rule 2: Subtracting Values

This rule explains if a smaller value precedes a larger one, the smaller value is subtracted.

Example: IX = 10 – 1 = 9

Subtractive Rule for Roman Numerals

Write	Instead of	Value
IV	IIII	4
IX	VIIII	9
XL	XXXX	40
XC	LXXXX	90
CD	CCCC	400
CM	DCCCC	900

Solved Examples

Convert 69 into Roman Numerals:
69 = LXIX
- Breakdown: 60 (LX) + 9 (IX).
Convert 1984 into Roman Numerals:
1984 = MCMLXXXIV
- Breakdown: 1000 (M) + 900 (CM) + 80 (LXXX) + 4 (IV).
Compute MXXII – LXX – LII:
- MXXII = 1022, LXX = 70, LII = 52
- 1022 – 70 – 52 = 900 (CM).