Roman numeral tattoo – meaning, conversion, ideas

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Once widely used in Europe and in parts of Africa and Asia, Roman numerals seem to have lost their popularity today.

And yet, they are part of these inherited aspects of Greco-Roman culture that are not entirely forgotten at present. They remain notably known and used in certain fields of art, such as cinema and tattoos. In the first area, they serve to designate episodes of sagas, such as, for example, episodes of Star Wars. Another job perhaps less well known in the field of cinema: Roman numerals are widely used to indicate the year of production of the films. As for the field of tattoos, here the Roman numerals can express diverse and varied ideas. In this article we make a

zoom on the Roman numeral tattoo and on its possible meanings.

You will also find useful information on how to convert Arabic numerals into Roman numerals without baffles and long, boring calculations.

Tattoo Roman numeral – meaning

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Roman tattoo meaning side, it is not surprising to learn that the most common function remains that of the expression of dates and years. The fact that Roman culture is part of our cultural and historical heritage plays an important role for the development of this tattoo meaning. It is this aspect that helps us to associate the figures of the Romans with something old, which has occurred in the past.

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For these reasons, the Roman numeral tattoo is today used to indicate dates and years that have marked the life of the wearer. It can be a year of birth or marriage or the date of another important event in our life …

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So, tattoos of this kind are also a way to commemorate the first meeting with his darling or with his best friend. So that’s a nice idea for wedding, romantic or friendship tattoo!

Tattoo location ideas Roman numeral

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The Roman numerals are based on a rather simple system of calculation and some Latin alphabet symbols that are still used today in many countries around the world. France, Belgium and Canada are no exception! In short, this type of tattoo brings a lot to a message composed of a few letters. So, this kind of tattoo does not take much space; we can therefore consider wearing it everywhere on his body.

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The choice of a location for a Roman numeral tattoo will therefore depend essentially on the size of the desired tattoo. Do you want a discreet little tattoo? Try an ankle tattoo, handle or finger! The latter would also be a good idea for couples. Want a tatto Roman numeral that gets noticed? Bet on a tattoo arm, leg or shoulder.

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In any case, you can play with various fonts and colors. It is also possible to incorporate different patterns to your Roman numeral tattoo. Thus, dots or other geometric patterns could be used to separate the day, month and year of your tattoo.

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Good to know: the tattoo Roman numerals also exists in ephemeral tattoo version. Good news for those who would like to experiment with such a motif before engraving it on their skin forever!

What does he need to know to invent his Roman numeral tattoo?

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To invent his personalized Roman numeral tattoo, it is necessary to know the system used by the ancient Romans to note the numbers. This system is not very complex. Below, we reveal everything you need to know about it!

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The Roman numeral notation system is based on the Latin alphabet that is still used today in French, Spanish and English speaking countries. This is our everyday alphabet.

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To know how to read and write these figures, it is sufficient to know which Latin letters correspond to the Arabic numerals which are those commonly used today. Here are the essential correspondences to know:

• For the numbers from 1 to 9: 1 = I; 2 = II; 3 = III; 4 = IV or IIII; 5 = V; 6 = VI; 7 = VII; 8 = VIII; 9 = IX;
• The tens are noted: 10 = X; 20 = XX; 30 = XXX; 40 = XL; 50 = L; 60 = LX; 70 = LXX; 80 = LXXX; 90 = XC;
• For the hundreds: 100 = C; 200 = CC; 300 = CCC; 400 = CD; 500 = D; 600 = DC; 700 = DCC; 800 = DCCC; 900 = CM;
• Thousands are written: 1000 = M; 2000 = MM; 3000 = MMM etc.

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For further …

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Want to go further and transpose a date or an exact figure in Roman numerals? No problem ! For this, one must know the very operation of the notation of the Romans. Rest assured, this is not difficult. On the contrary, the Romans did everything to simplify their lives in this respect!

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Their scoring system was based solely on addition and subtraction. For this reason, it is also called an additive system. This means that there are hook numbers that are used to record all digits, using two simple methods: addition and subtraction. The essential numbers are I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500). Knowing these numbers, we can note and decipher all the others.

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To do this, it must be remembered that higher value numbers are noted using addition; conversely, those with a minor value are noted using subtraction. In practice, this is illustrated by the following examples:

• 6 is denoted by the addition 5 + 1, ie V + I = VI (6); likewise, 11 is denoted by the addition 10 + 1, ie X + I = XI (11);
• 4 is denoted by the subtraction 1 – 5, ie I – V = IV (4), likewise 9 is denoted by the subtraction 1 – 10, ie I – X = IX (9).

You will understand, with a little practice, we can easily write any number using the system of Romans!

Online converters to customize your tattoo Roman numerals

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Otherwise, there is now an even simpler way of converting Arabic numerals into Roman numerals for tattooing. For that, it would be enough to visit an online converter, like the one available on this page.

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Thanks to this kind of free tools, we can convert Arabic numerals in one click. It should, quite simply, enter the number in the indicated field and the result will be immediately displayed next. Great, is not it?

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