Roman Numeral Symbols: Ⅰ Ⅴ Ⅹ vs Ordinary Letters

Explainers · 2 min read · Published October 25, 2026

Quick answer: for almost every use, write Roman numerals with ordinary capital letters: I, V, X, L, C, D, M (XIV, MMXXVI). Unicode also has special characters such as Ⅰ Ⅱ Ⅲ Ⅳ Ⅻ (U+2160–U+2188), but they look like letters while behaving differently in search, sorting and screen readers. Use them only where one character must fill one space, such as a clock face.

Quick reference: every method

Every Alt code below is verified against the real Windows code pages — where none exists we say so, rather than list one that won’t work.

The Unicode Roman numeral characters

Numbers 1–12 each have a single character (Ⅰ to Ⅻ), which is why they appear on clock faces. Archaic forms such as ↀ (1000), ↁ (5000) and ↂ (10,000) have no letter equivalent. They are the one case where the special characters are clearly needed. The full block is in our number forms category.

Letters or special characters?

• Use letters for years (MMXXVI), chapters, monarchs (Elizabeth II), outlines and film sequels. They are searchable, sortable and read correctly by screen readers.
• Use the special characters for clock faces, fixed-width labels in vertical Asian text, or the archaic forms.
• Quick test: if someone might search for or copy the text, use letters.

Unicode normalization (NFKC) turns Ⅻ into the three letters XII, which shows that the special characters are treated as compatibility forms (look-alike characters).

How to type them

• Letters: just type capital I, V, X, L, C, D, M; no Alt codes needed.
• Special characters in Word: type the code (for example 2160) and press Alt+X. There are no numpad Alt codes, because they are all above 255 (why).
• Elsewhere: copy from the table above, or use Win+., the Mac Character Viewer or Ctrl+Shift+U on Linux and Chromebooks.

Let the software do it

• Excel and Google Sheets: =ROMAN(2026) returns MMXXVI; =ARABIC("MMXXVI") returns 2026.
• Word and Google Docs: choose the I, II, III numbering style for a numbered list instead of typing numerals, so the numbers update automatically.
• Web pages: CSS list-style-type: upper-roman numbers an HTML list in Roman numerals.

Related: fraction symbols, another set of single-character numbers, and symbols cheat sheet.

Frequently asked questions