The Excel ARABIC function is a Text function that converts a Roman numeral to an Arabic numeral. In other words, if you have a cell with a Roman numeral and you want to change it into a regular number, you can use the ARABIC function.
Syntax
ARABIC(text)
Arguments
| Text | The text you want to convert to a number. This text should represent a number in a non-Latin script, such as Arabic, Chinese, or Roman numerals. |
How to use
To use the ARABIC function you just input a Roman numeral into the function. Let’s look at an example:
If we input “III” into the function, it will output the number 3. To write this in Excel you would type:
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=ARABIC("III") |
After hitting “Enter”, Excel will display the number 3.
In another example, if we input “XV”, the function will output the number 15. You would write this in Excel as:
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=ARABIC("XV") |
After hitting “Enter”, Excel will display the number 15.
Additional information
It’s important to note that the ARABIC function is not case sensitive, meaning you can input “iii” or “III”, and Excel will output the number 3. However, the function will return an error if you input numbers that are not recognizable as valid Roman numerals.