
Although different accountants have adopted Roman and Greek traditions (or transitioned to modern abbreviations), context is what unlocks the knowledge needed to understand the term. Writing style guides recommend that figures under a million should be written numerically (1,000 vs. one thousand). Once you get above that amount, you’d say billion or trillion instead of using the numbers.
Alternative Notations for MM (Million)
In the sectors of finance, business, and academia, abbreviating “million” is vital. This guide elucidates the conventions, helping professionals from diverse sectors master the art of using “M” and “MM” effectively. Dive in to unlock the nuances of precise numerical communication. K is also used in computing to mean “kilobyte,” but mostly in commercial contexts as a shortening of KB (see CMOS 10.49). To further muddy the waters, K can also mean “kelvin,” which is the base unit of temperature.
What does m stand for?

It originates from the Roman numeral, M, for thousand, and MM is used to indicate one thousand thousands, which makes a million. It is commonly used in financial documents, or when discussing budgets, earnings, or other financial data. It’s then up to the reader to note the context, with the document stating the place value once at the beginning and not again. When two Ms are together (MM), it indicates 2,000 when using this methodology for expressing numbers. For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online. Thankfully, that conversation let me understand a future one where I was given quotes for a single and an aggregate line of authority.

The CSE Manual, 9th Edition, the Scientific Companion to The Chicago Manual of Style
You might need $5 million to $10 million to qualify as having a very high net worth while it may take $30 million or more to be considered ultra-high net worth. 1,000,000 (one million), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding cash flow 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione (milione in modern Italian), from mille, “thousand”, plus the augmentative suffix -one. Large numbers can be difficult to comprehend and interpret correctly, thus using MM to represent millions simplifies presentations and discussions, making them more efficient. Designed strategy for large-scale operational transformation initiative encompassing 1700+ full-time employees (FTEs), resulting in 500 FTE savings.
I worked independently as a contractor and needed a bond to establish a business profile. I was told my rate would be $2M per year to deliver $1MM in protection. Even if you have a significant figure to represent, such as 12 billion, you could still write it as 1200MM, which would be understood. If you see “one quintillion,” you know that it’s a lot – and have spatial awareness of what it represents.
Is “M” used internationally to abbreviate million?
Western civilization has had two powerful influences — the traditions of the Greeks and the Romans, and there is often conflict. The Greeks would refer to the god of the sea as Poseidon, where the Romans would call him Neptune. For the Romans, the god of wine would be Bacchus, and for the Greeks it would be Dionysus. These differences carry themselves into many parts of our culture, including financial analysis.

What is the Abbreviation for Million?
- Using uppercase (“MM”) or lowercase (“mm”) are both fine, as long as you’re consistent.
- We’ve got the perfectly good K for that, as mentioned upthread.
- In this context, MM is the same as writing “M multiplied by M,” which is equal to “1,000 times 1,000,” which equals 1,000,000 (one million).
- We still use Roman numerals for some accounting methods, while large figures are designated by the Greek alphabetic equivalent of the specific term.
- The MM abbreviation works whether the entry is in dollars, some other currency or millions of items or customers.
- The barred M was necessary because the Romans didn’t use zero, and they didn’t like using more than three identical letters in a row.
I know I have seen jobs posted that pay $50K, and K is meant to stand in for thousand. The Greeks would likewise show million as M, short for Mega. So if we stay consistent with the Greek abbreviations, then billion would be shown as a letter G (Giga). Think of your computer expressing bytes of memory as kilobyte, megabyte or gigabyte. The term MM is mm vs m for million used in the finance world to denote one million and is a standard nomenclature used across the globe. It is commonly used in financial documents, contracts, and communication, especially those regarding large monetary amounts.
Similarly, if an investor mentions owning 5M shares of a particular stock, they are referring to holding 5 million shares. CFI is on a mission to enable anyone to be a great financial analyst and have a great career path. The financial world uses “K” when referring to “per thousand dollars”. Why is there such a difference in terms when they basically mean the same thing? K comes from the Greek world “kilo” which means one thousand and is used in metric / decimal systems. The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.
What Does M and MM Mean in Accounting?
By following these guidelines, you can confidently navigate the world of “M” and “MM” and abbreviate millions like a pro. By effectively utilizing abbreviations like “M” and “MM,” you can convey numerical information quickly, concisely, and accurately. The Authorized Share Capital of Medical Billing Process Company is $15,000,000 shares of $ 100 each i.e. $ 1,500,000,000. The standard for million, is a capital ‘M’, unlike one thousand which is a small ‘k’.




