Quadrant IQuadrant I, the upper right: both coordinates are positive, (+, +).
Quadrant IIThe upper left: x is negative and y positive, (−, +).
Quadrant IIIQuadrant III, the lower left: both coordinates are negative, (−, −).
Quadrant IVThe lower right: x is positive and y negative, (+, −).
Other 3
x-axisThe x-axis: the horizontal number line. The first number of an ordered pair, x, is read along it.
y-axisThe y-axis: the vertical number line. The second number of an ordered pair, y, is read along it.
OriginThe origin: the point where the axes cross, (0, 0).
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. OpenStax, Prealgebra 2e, section 11.1 Use the Rectangular Coordinate System, https://openstax.org/books/prealgebra-2e/pages/11-1-use-the-rectangular-coordinate-system : the x-axis and y-axis divide the plane into four quadrants, identified by Roman numerals beginning on the upper right and proceeding counterclockwise; every point is an ordered pair (x, y), the x-coordinate first; signs by quadrant: I (+, +), II (−, +), III (−, −), IV (+, −); the point (0, 0) where the axes cross is the origin; points on an axis are in no quadrant. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
Label the quadrants on a graph with this blank coordinate plane: the two axes cross at the origin and split it into four quadrants. Start with the 4 quadrants.
Read the full guide
Counting the quadrants
The x-axis runs across and the y-axis up, crossing at the origin, (0, 0). They split the plane into four quadrants, numbered with Roman numerals counterclockwise, starting at the upper right: I, II, III, IV.
Which quadrant is a point in?
Look at the signs of its ordered pair (x, y). Quadrant I is (+, +), II is (−, +), III is (−, −) and IV is (+, −). A point on an axis is in no quadrant.
Start at the upper right with I, then go the opposite way to a clock's hands: II upper left, III lower left, IV lower right.
Questions and answers
Which quadrant is the upper right?
Quadrant I. Both coordinates of a point there are positive. The numbering then goes counterclockwise: II upper left, III lower left, IV lower right.
Which quadrant is (−3, 4) in?
Quadrant II: its x-coordinate is negative and its y-coordinate positive, so it is up and to the left of the origin.
What quadrant is the origin in?
None. The origin, (0, 0), and every other point on an axis lies on a boundary between quadrants, not inside one.