Roman Numeral Converter

I · Numbers

Roman numeral converter

Type a number or a Roman numeral. It converts both ways as you type.

Above 3,999? Type the barred part in brackets, e.g. (IV)CC = 4,200.

    II · Dates

    Date to Roman numerals

    For tattoos, engravings and gifts. Pick a date or type it in.

    Or type it
    Order
    Year

      III · Tattoo preview

      See it in tattoo lettering

      Try your numeral or date in ten open-source fonts, on your skin tone. Download a design for your artist or engraver, or print a stencil at real size.

      IV · Clock faces

      Roman numeral clock face generator

      Design a clock face tattoo with the hands set to a time that matters, such as a birth time, with an optional date. Choose the lettering, then download it or print a stencil.

      Design a clock face

      How Roman numerals work

      Roman numerals use seven letters. Write the largest values first and add them up: VI is 5 + 1 = 6, and MMXXVI is 1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 1 = 2026.

      LetterIVXLCDM
      Value1510501005001000

      To avoid writing the same letter four times, a smaller letter placed before a larger one is subtracted. Only six pairs are used: IV (4), IX (9), XL (40), XC (90), CD (400) and CM (900). So 1994 is M + CM + XC + IV = MCMXCIV.

      These are today's rules. Roman inscriptions often used additive forms too, such as IIII for 4 and VIIII for 9, and most clock faces still show IIII.

      In the modern standard system, the largest number written without extra marks is 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX). Beyond that, the usual convention today is a bar over the letters, which multiplies them by 1,000, so V is 5,000. The bar is mostly a medieval and modern habit; the Romans themselves used several other marks for big numbers. More on numbers above 3,999.

      Read the full guide to how Roman numerals work, see all our guides, or browse years and numbers 1 to 1,000.

      Roman numeral dates for tattoos

      Most date tattoos write the day, month and year as three separate numerals, such as XXIV.X.MMXXVI for 24 October 2026. This is a modern style rather than a Roman one: the Romans counted the days of each month from three fixed points, the Kalends, Nones and Ides, and usually identified a year by the consuls in office. Check the order before you book: Australia, the UK and Europe put the day first, while the US puts the month first, so the same numerals can mean two different dates. The converter above writes your date out in words so you can confirm it.

      Some people shorten the year to its last two digits (XXVI for 2026). That works for most years, but not years ending in 00, because there's no Roman numeral for zero.