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Interpreting Roman Numerals
A Combs &c. Research Resource
Last updated 09 Apr 2008
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"this fourth of February 1642"
roman numerals: a system of writing numbers that is based on the ancient Roman (rather than the Arabic used in English-speaking countries today) (Combs &c. Glossary: R)
Values
| Arabic | 1 | 5 | 10 | 50 | 100 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Roman | I* | V | X | L | C | D | M |
| *If the i (or I) is the only i or is the last in a series of i's, it may be written as a j rather than an i (as in the example above), a style seen particularly common in old-style writing. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Usage
| Name | Arabic | Roman |
| one | 1 | I |
| two | 2 | II |
| three | 3 | III |
| four | 4 | IV |
| five | 5 | V |
| six | 6 | VI |
| seven | 7 | VII |
| eight | 8 | VIII |
| nine | 9 | IX |
| ten | 10 | X |
| eleven | 11 | XI |
| twelve | 12 | XII |
| thirteen | 13 | XIII |
| fourteen | 14 | XIV |
| fifteen | 15 | XV |
| sixteen | 16 | XVI |
| seventeen | 17 | XVII |
| eighteen | 18 | XVIII |
| nineteen | 19 | XIX |
| twenty | 20 | XX |
| twenty-one &c. | 21 | XXI |
| thirty | 30 | XXX |
| forty | 40 | XL |
| fifty | 50 | L |
| sixty &c. | 60 | LX |
| ninety | 90 | XC |
| one hundred | 100 | C |
| two hundred etc. | 100 | CC |
| four hundred | 400 | CD |
| five hundred | 500 | D |
| six hundred &c. | 600 | DC |
| nine hundred | 900 | CM |
| one thousand | 1000 | M |
| two thousand &c. | 2,000 | MM |
Basic Principles
- If a number is followed by smaller number, ADD the two
- If a number is followed by a larger number, SUBTRACT the small from the large
- If a number is followed by number of equal value, ADD the two
- If a small number is below a larger number, MULTIPLY the two
Examples
| VI | 6 | (5 + 1) |
| IX | 9 | (10 - 1) |
| XX | 20 | (10 + 10) |
| MM V | 10,000 | (5 x 2,000) |
| MCDLXXI | 1471 | (1000 + (500 - 100) + 50 + 10 + 10 + 1) |
Roman numeral graphic courtesy Fred Smoot's America Writes Home
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