2008 in Roman Numerals
2008 is MMVIII, remembered for the global financial crisis that began that year. Two M for the thousands, then VIII spells out eight the long way, four strokes since eight has no shortcut glyph.
How MMVIII is formed
M + M + V + I + I + I = 1000 + 1000 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 2008.
Where MMVIII is used
A year numeral turns up in different places from a bare number. These are the four that send people looking for MMVIII.
- Date tattoos and engravings. A year-only piece is just MMVIII, and a full date stacks the day and month above it. MMVIII is 6 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 2008 carries MMVIII 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 MMVIII 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 2008 is 18 years old, so MMVIII is the numeral for a 18th anniversary this year. Wedding and birth years are the two most common reasons to want MMVIII written correctly.
2008 in history
2008 is remembered for the global financial crisis that began that autumn.
Convert another year or number
2008 is written MMVIII in Roman numerals.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the year 2008 in Roman numerals?
The year 2008 is written MMVIII. Reading left to right that is M (1000) + M (1000) + V (5) + I (1) + I (1) + I (1), added together to reach 2008.
What happened in 2008?
2008 is remembered for the global financial crisis that began that autumn. Written as a Roman numeral, 2008 is MMVIII, which is the form you will see it carved or inked.
Why does MMVIII start with MM?
MM is the numeral for 2000, and every year from 2000 to 2099 opens with it. The letters after it, VIII, carry the remaining 8.
How do you write 2008 for a tattoo?
The correct form is MMVIII. 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.
Years people look up next
The decade anchors either side of 2008, its immediate neighbours, and the quarter and half century marks that anniversaries land on.