Typing Roman numerals on a computer is not difficult—it is actually pretty easy! There are two different ways to go about it. One is extremely simple, while the other is slightly more sophisticated but uses fewer characters and only works in specific programs and areas of a computer. Here are the two methods:
Method 1: Type Roman numerals using their lookalikes in the Latin alphabet
The simplest way to type Roman numerals on a computer is to use the lookalikes of Roman numbers present in the Latin alphabet (the alphabet on an English language keyboard). This basically means you can use the capital letters I, V, X, L, C, D, and M to type Roman numerals. As long as you know what each letter means in the Roman numeral system, typing Roman numerals using their lookalikes in the Latin alphabet should be easy.
Method 2: Type Roman numerals in Unicode
Unicode is a universal standard for encoding and representing text on computers, and Unicode includes almost every Roman numeral in its Number Forms Block. However, only certain programs and areas of a computer can convert Unicode into text, so this method can only be used in specific places (such as word processors like Microsoft Word, spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel, or when programming). To type Roman numerals in Unicode: Unlike typing Roman numerals using their lookalikes in the Latin alphabet, when you type Roman numerals in Unicode, each character counts as one entity in supported environments. For example, VIII written in Unicode counts as one character in some applications, whereas VIII written using the letters V and I on your keyboard counts as four separate characters.
