Convert numbers to and from Roman numerals
Numbers above 3,999 use vinculum notation: a line above a numeral multiplies its value by 1,000.
So IXDCLXXXIV = 9,684.
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Patterns in the Chart
Once you see the pattern, Roman numerals become predictable. Every decade repeats the same structure: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX — just with different base symbols. The 40s (XL, XLI, XLII...) work exactly like the 4s (IV), just one level up. The hundreds mirror the tens, which mirror the ones. It's turtles all the way down.
Read more →A Font for Importance
The most practical thing about Roman numerals, in the end, is that they look good on stuff. The Roman Empire's number system outlived the empire by 1,500 years and counting. Not because it's useful, but because it's beautiful. Those seven impractical letters persist wherever we want to say: this matters, this is enduring.
Read more →Where do Roman numerals come from?
It is thought Roman numerals come from hand signals and tally marks. The stroke I represents a finger, the V represents the gap between thumb and fingers for five, and the X represents hands crossed for ten. The L, C, D, and M come from modifications of Greek letters like chi, theta, and phi to represent 50, 100, 500, and 1,000. Over time, these marks changed into the Latin letters people recognize today. There is no 0 in the Roman alphabet, as the concept for the number 0 didn't fully develop until India invented it around 600 CE / 10600 HE.