Roman Numerals
The Roman Symbols
The Romans used a special method of showing numbers, based on the following symbols:
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1
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5
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10
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50
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100
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500
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1000
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I
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V
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X
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L
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C
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D
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M
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Numbers greater than 1,000 are formed by placing a dash over the symbol, meaning "times 1,000", but
these are not commonly used:
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5,000
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10,000
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50,000
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100,000
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500,000
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1,000,000
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V
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X
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L
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C
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D
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M
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Basic Combinations
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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I
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II
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III
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IV
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V
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VI
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VII
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VIII
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IX
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10
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20
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30
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40
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50
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60
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70
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80
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90
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X
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XX
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XXX
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XL
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L
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LX
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LXX
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LXXX
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XC
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100
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200
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300
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400
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500
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600
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700
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800
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900
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C
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CC
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CCC
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CD
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D
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DC
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DCC
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DCCC
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CM
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Forming Numbers - The Rules
When a symbol appears after a larger symbol it is added
- Example: VI = V + I = 5 + 1 = 6
When a symbol appears before a larger symbol it is subtracted
- Example: IX = X - I = 10 - 1 = 9
Don't use the same symbol more than three times in a row.
Tip: Break the number into Thousands, Hundreds Tens and Units and write down each in turn.
Example: Convert 1984 to Roman Numerals:
- 1000 = M, 900 = CM, 80=LXXX, 4=IV, so 1984 = MCMLXXXIV
Conversion Tool
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