How do I convert an Arabic number back to Roman numerals?

Use the ROMAN() function, which performs the reverse operation. For example, =ROMAN(4) returns 'IV' and =ROMAN(1990) returns 'MCMXC'. This is essential for generating classical references, book chapters, or reports that require Roman numeral formatting.

Does ARABIC accept lowercase Roman numerals like 'iv' or 'mcm'?

Yes, ARABIC is case-insensitive. Both 'iv' and 'IV' return 4, and 'mcm' and 'MCM' both return 1900. The function treats uppercase and lowercase as equivalent.

What's the maximum value ARABIC can convert?

ARABIC supports Roman numerals up to 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX). Larger values require vinculum notation (a bar over numerals), which standard spreadsheets don't directly support. For numbers exceeding 3,999, use Arabic numerals in calculations instead of Roman numerals.

What happens if I pass a number instead of text to ARABIC?

ARABIC expects a text string. Passing a pure number like 4 typically returns #VALUE! or may trigger auto-conversion in some spreadsheet applications. To be safe, wrap numeric sources with TEXT(): =ARABIC(TEXT(A1,"0")).

ARABIC function

ARABIC converts Roman numeral text strings to their equivalent Arabic number values for calculation and sorting.

=ARABIC(text)

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Arguments

How ARABIC reads its arguments

Argument	Required	Description
text	Required	Required. A text string containing a valid Roman numeral (I, II, III, IV, V, X, L, C, D, M, etc.). Invalid text, empty strings, or malformed numerals return #VALUE!.

Returns

Returns a number representing the Arabic numeral equivalent of the input Roman numeral text.

Availability

Excel: All · Google Sheets: Supported

Worked examples

1. Extract order batch sequence number from Order ID

Order ID	Region	Rep	Units	Unit Price	Order Date
Order-I	East	Alice	5	25	2024-01-15
Order-II	West	Bob	8	30	2024-04-20
Order-III	North	Carol	12	22	2024-07-10
Order-IV	South	Dave	3	50	2024-10-05

=ARABIC(MID(A2,7,4))

Result: 1

MID(A2,7,4) extracts starting at character 7 from 'Order-I', yielding 'I'. ARABIC converts 'I' to the number 1. For the complete dataset, this extracts batch numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, enabling you to sort or filter orders numerically even though they're internally stored with Roman numeral notation.

2. Calculate regional sales tier from Region code

Order ID	Region	Rep	Units	Unit Price	Order Date
1001	EastI	Alice	5	25	2024-01-15
1002	WestII	Bob	8	30	2024-04-20
1003	NorthIII	Carol	12	22	2024-07-10
1004	SouthIV	Dave	3	50	2024-10-05

=ARABIC(RIGHT(B2,1))*100

Result: 100

RIGHT(B2,1) extracts the last character 'I' from 'EastI'. ARABIC('I') returns 1, multiplied by 100 to get tier value 100. This pattern automatically scales: WestII = tier 200, NorthIII = tier 300, SouthIV = tier 400. You can now apply tier-based pricing, discounts, or commissions without hard-coded lookups.

3. Extract quarter from date code and group by fiscal period

Order ID	Region	Rep	Units	Unit Price	Order Date
1001	East	Alice	5	25	2024-Q-I
1002	West	Bob	8	30	2024-Q-II
1003	North	Carol	12	22	2024-Q-III
1004	South	Dave	3	50	2024-Q-IV

=ARABIC(MID(F2,6,2))

Result: 1

MID(F2,6,2) extracts positions 6–7 from '2024-Q-I', giving 'I'. ARABIC converts 'I' to 1, representing Q1. Across all rows, this yields quarter numbers 1, 2, 3, 4. This lets you group and aggregate sales by quarter numerically without text matching, supporting pivot tables, charts, and conditional analysis by fiscal period.

Common errors

Which ARABIC error are you seeing?

Error	Why it happens	How to fix it
#VALUE!	The input contains invalid Roman numerals, such as 'IIII' (should be 'IV'), 'VV' (should be 'X'), or non-Roman characters like 'IXZ' or 'ABC'.	Verify input contains only valid Roman numerals: I, V, X, L, C, D, M in proper sequence. Correct 'IIII' to 'IV', 'IXA' to 'IX'. Use MID or TRIM to isolate just the numeral portion if embedded in longer text.
#VALUE!	The input is an empty string or contains only whitespace, which ARABIC cannot convert to a number.	Ensure the input contains at least one valid Roman numeral character. Use IFERROR to handle blanks: =IFERROR(ARABIC(A2),0) to substitute 0 or another default value when the cell is empty.
#VALUE!	The input mixes Roman numerals with Arabic numerals or special characters, such as 'X5', '2-III', or 'I.V', which don't form a valid Roman numeral.	Extract only the Roman numeral portion using text functions. For example, use MID and FIND to isolate the letter sequence before passing to ARABIC: =ARABIC(MID(A2,1,2)) if you know the numeral position.

Tips and when to use something else

Use ROMAN() to reverse the conversion: transform Arabic numbers back to Roman numerals. Example: =ROMAN(4) returns 'IV'. This is useful for generating report headers or exporting data in classical notation.
ARABIC is case-insensitive; both 'iv' and 'IV' convert to 4, making it flexible for mixed-case data sources.
Combine ARABIC with text functions like MID, FIND, LEFT, RIGHT, or TRIM when Roman numerals are embedded in longer strings such as 'Order-III' or 'East-II-Sales'.
For priority systems, tier codes, or sequential batches that use Roman numerals, consider storing raw Arabic numbers instead to reduce conversion overhead; ARABIC is most valuable when inheriting legacy data or external feeds that deliver Roman numerals.

Related functions

ROMANROMAN converts a numeric value between 1 and 3999 to a text string representing that number in Roman numerals.VALUEVALUE converts a text string that looks like a number, currency, or date into the underlying numeric value Excel or Sheets can use in calculations.TEXTTEXT converts a numeric, date, or time value into a formatted text string based on a custom format pattern you supply.MIDMID extracts a specified number of characters from a text string, starting at a given position, and returns the resulting substring.FINDFIND returns the numeric position of a substring within a text string, counting from a specified start point and respecting case sensitivity.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert an Arabic number back to Roman numerals?: Use the ROMAN() function, which performs the reverse operation. For example, =ROMAN(4) returns 'IV' and =ROMAN(1990) returns 'MCMXC'. This is essential for generating classical references, book chapters, or reports that require Roman numeral formatting.
Does ARABIC accept lowercase Roman numerals like 'iv' or 'mcm'?: Yes, ARABIC is case-insensitive. Both 'iv' and 'IV' return 4, and 'mcm' and 'MCM' both return 1900. The function treats uppercase and lowercase as equivalent.
What's the maximum value ARABIC can convert?: ARABIC supports Roman numerals up to 3,999 (MMMCMXCIX). Larger values require vinculum notation (a bar over numerals), which standard spreadsheets don't directly support. For numbers exceeding 3,999, use Arabic numerals in calculations instead of Roman numerals.
What happens if I pass a number instead of text to ARABIC?: ARABIC expects a text string. Passing a pure number like 4 typically returns #VALUE! or may trigger auto-conversion in some spreadsheet applications. To be safe, wrap numeric sources with TEXT(): =ARABIC(TEXT(A1,"0")).

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Reviewed 2026-09-17