Year 3 · Time
Read Roman numerals up to 12
Learn how to read Roman numerals up to 12, like the numbers on a clock face.
Definition
Roman numerals are a way of writing numbers with letters. I means 1, V means 5 and X means 10. You put letters together to make other numbers, so XII means 12. Many clock faces use Roman numerals instead of digits.
Why Do I Have to Learn This?
Roman numerals still appear on clocks, films and chapter headings. Reading them connects you to how people counted for thousands of years.
Key Rules:
- 1. I means 1, V means 5 and X means 10.
- 2. Read from left to right: when the letters go from big to small, add them, so VII is 5 + 2 = 7.
- 3. You can put up to three Is together: II is 2 and III is 3.
- 4. A small letter before a bigger one means take away: IV is 5 - 1 = 4 and IX is 10 - 1 = 9.
- 5. The numbers up to 12 are I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII.
Remember:
- •I is 1, V is 5 and X is 10. A letter after a bigger one adds, and a small letter before a bigger one takes away.
Don’t Forget...
- •Reading IX as 11 by adding the 1 and the 10. When I comes before X it takes away, so IX is 10 - 1 = 9. The number 11 is XI, with the I after the X.
- •Writing 4 as IIII. You can only put three Is together, so 4 uses the take-away form: IV means 5 - 1.
- •Thinking IV and VI are the same number. The order matters. I before V takes 1 away, so IV is 4, but I after V adds 1, so VI is 6.
Roman numerals
The number system that uses letters: I, V, X, L, C, D and M.
Counting up: I = 1, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4, V = 5, VI = 6, VII = 7, VIII = 8, IX = 9, X = 10. The bigger letters are L = 50, C = 100 and M = 1,000.
Worked Example:
What number is VIII?
Start with V, which is 5.
Each I after it adds 1, and there are three Is.
Add them up: 5 + 3 = 8.
Answer: 8
Why It Works:
Every letter has a fixed value, so a numeral is just a sum. The order of the letters tells you what to do: a letter after a bigger one adds its value, and a small letter before a bigger one takes its value away. That is why VIII and IX mean different things even though both use more than one letter.
Another Example:
The little hand on a clock points at IX. What number is that?
The I comes before the X, so it means take away.
Take 1 away from 10: 10 - 1 = 9.
Answer: 9
Animated Example:
Free Read Roman numerals up to 12 Worksheet
Download free worksheets and practise today.
Every download has a fresh set of questions.
Before this: Time (Year 2) · Next: Time (Year 4)
Let’s Practise the Concept
Step 1 of 3
Put them in order
Tap the numbers from smallest to largest.
In order so far: nothing yet