Roman Numerals Chart: 1 to 1000 Complete Reference

March 9, 2026

The Seven Basic Symbols

Every Roman numeral is composed from seven basic symbols. Before diving into the full chart, here's the foundation:

Numbers are formed by combining these symbols using addition (larger before smaller) and subtraction (smaller before larger). For the complete rules, see our guide to how Roman numerals work.

Roman Numerals 1 to 20

The numbers 1 through 20 are the most commonly used Roman numerals. Students, tattoo seekers, and clock readers encounter these daily:

Note how 4 (IV) and 9 (IX) use subtractive notation. Interestingly, many clock faces use IIII instead of IV — but in standard notation, IV is correct.

Tens: 10 to 100

Counting by tens shows how the system scales. Each decade follows the same additive and subtractive patterns:

Notice the pattern: 40 (XL) and 90 (XC) use subtraction, just like 4 (IV) and 9 (IX) do at the ones level. The full chart from 1 to 100 shows every number in this range.

Hundreds: 100 to 1000

The hundreds follow the identical pattern one level higher:

Key Milestone Numbers

These commonly searched numbers combine multiple levels of the system. They're useful reference points for students and anyone working with larger Roman numerals:

Beyond 1000

The standard Roman numeral system extends to 3999 (MMMCMXCIX) by repeating M up to three times for thousands:

For numbers above 3999, the ancient Romans used vinculum notation: a bar (overline) over a numeral multiplies its value by 1000. So V with a bar means 5000, X with a bar means 10,000, and so on.

How to Use This Chart

To convert any number from 1 to 3999, break it into thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones, then look up each component:

Example: 1776

• 1000 = M
• 700 = DCC
• 70 = LXX
• 6 = VI
• Combined: MDCCLXXVI

Example: 2026

• 2000 = MM
• 20 = XX
• 6 = VI
• Combined: MMXXVI

For tattoo conversions with specific dates, see our Roman numeral tattoo guide. For the full conversion rules, read how Roman numerals work.