2004 in Roman Numerals
2004 is MMIV in Roman numerals. It is a leap year, and its numeral uses the subtractive rule, where a smaller glyph placed before a larger one is taken away rather than added, the part of Roman numerals most people find fiddly.
How MMIV is formed
M + M + IV = 1000 + 1000 + 4 = 2004.
Where MMIV is used
A year numeral turns up in different places from a bare number. These are the four that send people looking for MMIV.
- Date tattoos and engravings. A year-only piece is just MMIV, and a full date stacks the day and month above it. MMIV is 4 characters long, which matters more than people expect: it sets how wide the bottom line of a stacked date will sit.
- Copyright lines in credits. Film and television end credits have long set the copyright year in Roman numerals, so a production from 2004 carries MMIV on its end card. If you are reading a numeral off a title sequence rather than writing one, this is usually the one you have found.
- Cornerstones and dedications. Buildings, monuments and foundation stones carry their year in numerals, which is why MMIV turns up carved rather than typed. Every year between 2000 and 2099 opens with MM, so on a datestone it is the letters after MM that tell you which year you are actually looking at.
- Anniversaries. In 2026, a date from 2004 is 22 years old, so MMIV is the numeral for a 22nd anniversary this year. Wedding and birth years are the two most common reasons to want MMIV written correctly.
Convert another year or number
2004 is written MMIV in Roman numerals.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the year 2004 in Roman numerals?
The year 2004 is written MMIV. Reading left to right that is M (1000) + M (1000) + IV (4), added together to reach 2004.
Why does MMIV start with MM?
MM is the numeral for 2000, and every year from 2000 to 2099 opens with it. The letters after it, IV, carry the remaining 4.
How do you write 2004 for a tattoo?
The correct form is MMIV. For a vertical piece the same letters are simply stacked, and for a full date the day and month sit above the year on their own lines. Keeping the spelling standard means a tattoo artist can copy it directly.
Is MMIV the same as 2004 on a clock?
No. Clock faces only run to XII, so a year never appears on a dial. MMIV belongs on dates: credits, cornerstones, engravings and tattoos. A numeral read off a watch face is an hour between I and XII, not a year.
Years people look up next
The decade anchors either side of 2004, its immediate neighbours, and the quarter and half century marks that anniversaries land on.