How to write a date in Roman numerals
A date has three parts — day, month, and year — and each is written as its own Roman numeral, separated by a small mark. For example, March 14, 2025 becomes III · XIV · MMXXV in month-day-year order. This is the format most people choose for a tattoo, anniversary band, or engraved gift, because it turns a personal date into something that reads like a classic monument inscription.
Pick the order that matches your meaning
- Month · Day · Year — the common US layout (III · XIV · MMXXV).
- Day · Month · Year — the layout used across most of the world (XIV · III · MMXXV).
- Year · Month · Day — a clean, formal look some prefer for jewelry.
Whichever you pick, keep it consistent — and if it's going on your body forever, double-check the order against how you'd naturally read the date out loud.
Roman numeral basics
| I = 1 | V = 5 | X = 10 | L = 50 |
| C = 100 | D = 500 | M = 1000 | IV = 4, IX = 9 |
Numbers are built largest-first, and a smaller symbol before a larger one means subtract: IV is 4, IX is 9, XL is 40. There is no zero in Roman numerals, which is why a day like the 4th is IV, never IIII.
Common mistakes to avoid
- IIII instead of IV. The correct short form for 4 is IV (though clock faces sometimes use IIII stylistically).
- Mixing up day and month. The 3rd and the 12th look very different in numerals — confirm the order before you commit.
- The year. 2025 is MMXXV (1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 + 5). This tool does the arithmetic for you so it's always right.
Everything is calculated in your browser — your date is never uploaded or stored. Show the copied result to your tattoo artist or jeweler as the exact reference.