RNC: Roman Numeral Converter
How to Use
- Type or paste the number on the input. It can be Roman numerals or Arabic (standard or international) numerals. We will see the output instantly.
- For standard numerals input, RNC only accepts positive integer.
- Roman numerals use uppercase I, V, X, L, C, D, and M. Make sure to activate Caps-Lock (capital letters lock) or type it with uppercase letter.
- Double-click the input to reset.
Zero
There is no zero (0) number in Roman numerals system.
But there's the word nulla.
RNC will return the initial of the word, which is N, if we put 0 on the input box.
But, because N isn't an actual Roman numeral, hence, if we type N on the input box, it will return error.
Negative Number
There is no negative number in Roman numeral system.
It's jab, cross, and roundhouse kick all the way.
Forward! 🤜
⬆️ Legionnaire Logic ⬅️ SPQR meet MMA. This is combat numerology — arithmetic by spinning back kick.
Fractions
There is the concept of fraction in Roman numerals.
But because nowadays we never use it, since it looks bonkers — like dominoes but we have to think in 12, therefore it is not included.
Roman fractions were primarily based on a duodecimal system (base-12), using a set of symbols and dots (·) representing twelfths (1/12) of a whole unit, known as an as. Yes, as. One "s".
Think in twelve!
(Thinking.) January, muppet, bawbag, pillock...
Good! (Strikes "Roman fractions".)
We live in decimal-fraction at the moment. Thus, deodorant-cimal-fraction isn't really fitting. Also, they didn't collect the tax that honest.
Somewhere in Gallic lands. ⬇️
You owe Rome 1/3 of a denarius! Pay up.
👀 W've gah twelv shchee-gnz 'n un crrrv'dshtone, shayp'd lakh 'n'orss.
(Translation: We've got twelve chickens and a carved stone shaped like a horse.)
(Thinking. Squinting) One more time?
👀 Shchee-gnz?
Right. We don't want any trouble, do we? Round it. Five chickens!
⬆️ And then they had the nerve to say "barbarian" to those who didn't want to be Romanised. That's like a burglar calling the homeowner "uncivilised" for locking the door. I just put myself in that chicken and horse carving owner's shoes. Or other footwear. Or feet.
⬆️ But when I put myself in Roman's sandals, everything they did was needed! Well, it originated from dreams and wants, avalanching to needs. So you see, it's hilariously recursive.
The Sequence
The system consists of these uppercase letters: I, V, X, L, C, D, and M.
- I: 1
- V: 5
- X: 10
- L: 50
- C: 100
- D: 500
- M: 1000
Lowercase was gradually developed later on in mediaeval period (around 5th - 15th century AD) — specifically for alphabet, Greek letters, and Cyrillic (Greek based). But never for others like Abjad, Logographic, Abugida, etc. The ancient Roman had only one type of letter case, because they didn't need the confusing lowercase. Not until the empire "converted".
We call it uppercase, they might call it... (awkward silence)... because the concept was unknown.
Pattern Examples
- I: 1
- II: 2
- III: 3
- IV: 4
- V: 5
- VI: 6
- VII: 7
- VIII: 8
- IX: 9
- X: 10
- XI: 11
- XXII: 22
- XXXV: 35
- XLIV: 44
- LIII: 53
- CD: 400
- CDL: 450
- ML: 1050
- and so on...
Pattern Arithmetic
Subtraction
The smaller numeral is used as subtractor of the larger one if it is placed in front (left side) of the larger numeral.
small•large pattern.
IV ➡️ I is the small part, V is the large one ➡️ small•large pattern ➡️ means (large - small) ➡️ IV = 5 - 1 = 4 ➡️ IV = 4
For value below 10, the foundation, the concept applies to 4 (IV) and 9 (IX) — and their multiples, like 40 (XL) and 900 (CM). Above 10 (and multiples of 10), similar method applies, but we need to expand it first.
For instance, 19 ➡️ 10 + 9 ➡️ X • IX ➡️ XIX
Another example, 1014 ➡️ 1000 + 10 + 4 ➡️ M • X • IV ➡️ MXIV
Addition
The smaller or equal numeral is used as adder when it is placed behind (right side) the larger (or equal) numeral.
large•small pattern.
VI ➡️ V is the large part, I is the small one ➡️ large•small pattern ➡️ means (large + small) ➡️ VI = 5 + 1 = 6 ➡️ VI = 6
equal•equal pattern.
XX ➡️ both are X (equal) ➡️ equal•equal pattern ➡️ means (equal + equal) ➡️ XX = 10 + 10 = 20 ➡️ XX = 20
For value below 5, the concept applies to 2 (II) and 3 (III) — and their multiples. Between 5 to 10, 6 (VI), 7 (VII), and 8 (VIII) — and their multiples. Above 10 (and multiples of 10), similar method applies: expansion and grouping the values.
Examples
Let's try to read this, MMXXV = 2025.
MMXXV ➡️ MM + XXV = (1000 + 1000) + 25 = 2000 + 25 = 2025.
It's used in literature and whatnots in entertainment and academia to confuse common folks. 😂 Jest.
Let's see another examples.
MCMLIX ➡️ M + CM + L + IX = 1000 + (1000 - 100) + 50 + 9 = 1000 + 900 + 50 + 9 = 1959.
1877 ➡️ 1000 + 800 + 70 + 7 ➡️ 1000 + (500 + 100 + 100 + 100) + (50 + 10 + 10) + (5 + 1 + 1) ➡️ M • (D • C • C • C) • (L • X • X) • (V • I • I) ➡️ MDCCCLXXVII.
The expansion and grouping are done from left to right, from the largest to the smallest value.
Using this system, we apply the predefinition (I, V, X, L, C, D, and M) and the rules above instead of reinventing.
For instance, 10 is already defined as X. Hence, we do not write VV, or IXI, or other than X to represent 10. Because... 10 is already defined as X.
Or, 500 is predefined as D . Thus, we do not write DM (1000 - 500 = 500 ❓🙋♂️) to represent 500 because of the similar reason.
Use RNC as Your Reference
RNC can directly convert the number using URL parameter ➡️ ?number=YOUR_NUMBER.
As such:
https://portraptor.johanpaul.net/2015/08/rnc-roman-numeral-converter.html?number=212Example, in anchor tag:
<a
href="https://portraptor.johanpaul.net/2015/08/rnc-roman-numeral-converter.html?number=212"
target="_blank"
rel="noopener"
title="Open new tab">
Roman Numeral for 212
</a>
Or:
<a
href="https://portraptor.johanpaul.net/2015/08/rnc-roman-numeral-converter.html?number=MXVII"
target="_blank"
rel="noopener"
title="Open new tab">
MXVII
</a>
The URL template is like so:
https://portraptor.johanpaul.net/2015/08/rnc-roman-numeral-converter.html?number=YOUR_NUMBERTemplate in anchor tag:
<a
href="https://portraptor.johanpaul.net/2015/08/rnc-roman-numeral-converter.html?number=YOUR_NUMBER"
target="_blank"
rel="noopener"
title="Open new tab">
YOUR LINK TEXT
</a>
YOUR_NUMBER can be either international numeral (positive integer) or valid Roman numeral.
Closing
The ancient Romans supposedly were not dealing with bloated numeric value like nowadays, thus the largest digit is 1,000 (M) — one thousand. So, today's 10,000,000 (ten million), most likely will be converted to Roman numerals as 10,000 M's.
That is how civil engineering works, people.
No written documentation on how many stones, woods, and whatnots for one puny project.
This road from Rome to that mountain we cannot see from here?
Easy.
Ah, the old days, when people could memorise everything so calmly.
In that sense, an ancient Roman infrastructure project manager should be intensely... awkward by any standard nowadays. Let's imagine the process within the lad's brain. 🧠
Was it... 3251 stones or 3215? Let me access the project "Aqueduct in that spot in that bonkers region near Portugal".
(🔎 Accessing that bonkers region near Portugal.)
No Portugal found.
What is Portugal?
(🔎 Searching with different term — in under 100 ms.)
Blimey, wrong project. Hm.
Oh wait, "Important ancient rocks & general madness near Iberia". Oh heavens, not it. Fine, me. You win.
🧐 I need to make a function to auto-generate unique project ID from now on.
🥸 Writing routines...
Rejected.
Uncaught syntax error at line near buttocks.
What is unique?
🤔 I need to define unique.
Rejected.
No number after 3,999.
🤦🤷Oh, well. That looks sturdy enough. Looks marvellous. I am fantastic.
From sifting through documents, ancient Romans capped their numerals to 3,999. Which is...❓ Because... at least... at bloody least... they once deployed troops larger than 4,000 in one calm Sunday stroll — from the tale of course, considering the circumstances in it, the setup. Not to mention the metallurgy department, weaponry council, ration (meal) division, chickens, carrots, tents... But no, no written anything was "found". It was simply unwritten perhaps, or lost, or... well.. ⁉️🙋♂️
⬆️ Quattuor milia? Nope. Sounds Greek. They had no time to... do it. Not with their... glorious victories. Wine wouldn't jet into their bellies by itself.
Quite interesting how military strategists did not properly document the details of their orders.
Let's imagine it:
(Legatus Legionis Mikaelus Jaksonus) You battalion chaps, go in 4.
(Praefectus Castrorum Hulkus Hoganus) Understood, Sir. Pardon me for being blunt, Sir. 4 what, Sir?
(Legatus Legionis Mikaelus Jaksonus) 4 stupidities performed by your shoulders.
(Praefectus Castrorum Hulkus Hoganus) Understood, Sir.
See, it's all about coding it properly with words, eye blinks, body gesture, and such — no need to write it down. Memorising and selective documentation were indeed common in the ancient times.
... And the Romans... WON. 💥 Countless battles. ⁉️🙋♂️
Bureaucracy?
Hi, bureaucracy, they left you out.
How in the name of Microsoft Excel does that compute? It does compute if we put the first and last conditions, bridging information is optional — which means, static definitions, no computation ever is performed.
This numeral system was one feature from the Roman legacy that obliterated the diverged societies and unified them under one command back then — supposedly. They were told as a highly efficient and straightforward society, the best — referencing the epic.
But they only had until M for numeral system. ❓🙋♂️
Taxes?
Oh, Karen from Finance perhaps used Greek numeral system. Bob from Accounting probably spoke in tongues.
Prior to the baffling Romans was the society under King Nimrod (Mesopotamia) — mayhap this was the second cosmic reset I suppose. The filtered, short documentation of Tower of Babel — one language, one world, attempting to break out from the confinement.
The first cosmic reset was the utterly massive flood (documented in many cultures). Well, they were the "first version" — unleashed from the divine laboratory, inevitable unspeakable chaos erupted.
Deducing from the stories, patterns, and, of course, how we in the modern world actually function, there is the gate mechanism in this realm — which was gradually placed as a divine (defined ⬅️ see?) patch. I call the method as revelation-of-a-concept.
For example:
There's a sign says, Do not push this button.
If there were no sign, we would not even know that is a button's dwelling place.
💡 From that moment on, we have the options to respond to that sign. And certainly, free will is the freedom to choose from what is known. Once defined and revealed, then the options magically fight each other. ✅
⬆️ That is "a gate" now.
The decoding function is embedded in our thoughts. It is proven and it exists, and certainly it is fascinating.
Oversimplified foundation looks as such:
O = obedience
C = curiosity
Total = 100
At least, we are equipped with 20% of curiosity about anything.
A toddler has it way beyond 20%.
C (curiosity) ≥ 20
O + C = 100, C ≥ 20
Therefore, O ≤ 80
⬆️ A pub-dissertation named "Internal Function Theory Mapped with Toddler Logic. 🍺" — with the pint emoji.
Meaning... We cannot be all, 100%, obedient to one command, it just is. Well, actually, to be honest, we can, as individuals. It's the very core of us, being paradoxically flexible to accept the rigidness.
That is quite a feature, indeed!
For few of us, we could be conditioned to be obedient 100% — no question — the elites, as in the elite force or the superior select group in general.
But then, there is that called population, the collective. The curiosity can be minimised with intense indoctrinations, fictions glorified as common facts, strict hierarchies, and such proper manipulative conditioning, but there is the threshold.
The "threshold" is actually cleverly employed as I noticed — noticing is my hobby. Ooh, look at that!
From logic's perspective, manipulation is logical, neutral — but we have emotions — we are built with both. We consist of the intricate network layers of them.
To me, well.. I merely observe. It's grandeur 🏆 and it works — for now.
So, hey...
You know, there's this unknown law in this realm:
Simplicity gives birth to ambition.
Ambition births layers.
Layers birth madness.
Madness demands a fresh start.
Now, it's known.
Well, at least we learned something. Or sod it, probably not.
SALUTATIO LECTORI MEI COMMENTARIOLI BREVIS.
That statue of a horse? We'll take it. Perhaps the 5 chickens will carve another horse! Yes! Self-sustaining chicken horse statue!