1,000 in Roman numerals
1,000 is written M. M is a letter of its own.
The answer
M
1,000 in Roman numerals is M.
How M is built
1,000 has a letter of its own, M. It is one of the two letters children meet in Year 5, when the national curriculum moves on from reading numerals to 100 to reading them to 1,000.
| Letter | Worth | Met in |
|---|---|---|
| I | 1 | Year 3 |
| V | 5 | Year 3 |
| X | 10 | Year 3 |
| L | 50 | Year 4 |
| C | 100 | Year 4 |
| D | 500 | Year 5 |
| M | 1,000 | Year 5 |
The mistake to watch for
Writing 1,000 as D
Wrong: D
D is only 500, half of 1,000. To remember M, think of mille, the Latin word for a thousand, which starts with M and gives us the word millennium.
Reading years in Roman numerals
Year 5 children also learn to recognise years written in Roman numerals, on foundation stones, old buildings and film credits. Split the year into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones, and write each part.
1066, the year of the Battle of Hastings, is M (1,000) + LXVI (66) = MLXVI. There are no hundreds, and with no zero there is nothing to write for them.
Up to 100, the Roman numerals chart has every number, and the converter there checks each step.
Keep going
Questions parents ask
What is 1,000 in Roman numerals?
1,000 is M.
What comes before and after M?
999 is CMXCIX and 1,001 is MI. The whole numeral changes: CMXCIX becomes M.
Does M use subtraction?
No. M is a single letter, so there is nothing to take away.
What is the biggest letter in M?
M, which is 1,000. M is a single letter.
Where might you see M?
On old buildings, clock towers and the title pages of old books, where any year from 1000 to 1999 starts with M.
When do children learn M?
In Year 5. The national curriculum asks Year 5 children to read Roman numerals to 1,000 (M) and to recognise years written in Roman numerals. Year 4 stops at 100 (C).
Careful reading is an 11+ skill
Knowing M is 1,000 at a glance is the quick recall 11+ papers reward. The free diagnostic covers all four subjects, with no card needed.