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Roman numerals

Read Roman numerals from I to C.

Not startedCAMBRIDGE · 4CBSE · IVIB · PYP-4

What are Roman numerals?

Roman numerals are an old way of writing numbers. They use letters instead of digits. The Romans used them over two thousand years ago. We still see them on clocks and in books today.

The seven basic symbols

There are seven letters to learn. I means 1. V means 5. X means 10. L means 50. C means 100. These are the building blocks for all Roman numerals up to one hundred.

Adding letters together

When a smaller or equal letter comes after a bigger one, add them. VI means 5 plus 1, which equals 6. XII means 10 plus 1 plus 1, which equals 12. LX means 50 plus 10, which equals 60.

Subtracting letters

When a smaller letter comes before a bigger one, subtract it. IV means 5 minus 1, which equals 4. IX means 10 minus 1, which equals 9. XL means 50 minus 10, which equals 40.

Reading longer numerals

Break the numeral into chunks from left to right. LXXIV has L (50), then XX (20), then IV (4). Add them: 50 plus 20 plus 4 equals 74. Always look for subtract pairs first.

Worked examples

  1. 1. What number is XXXV?

    1. Start from the left: XXX means 10 plus 10 plus 10, which is 30.
    2. Next comes V, which means 5.
    3. Add them together: 30 plus 5 equals 35.
    4. So XXXV is 35.

  2. 2. What number is XC?

    1. Look at the two letters: X comes before C.
    2. X is smaller than C, so we subtract.
    3. C means 100 and X means 10.
    4. 100 minus 10 equals 90, so XC is 90.

  3. 3. What number is LXVII?

    1. Break it into parts: L, then X, then V, then II.
    2. L means 50. X means 10. V means 5. II means 2.
    3. Add them all: 50 plus 10 plus 5 plus 2.
    4. That equals 67, so LXVII is 67.

Try it yourself

What number is XLV?

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