particle N2 common politewritten
にわたって — over
にわたって
Meaning
- over / spanning / throughout (a range or period) — an action extends across the whole of a stated span of time, space, or scope
Key sentence
工事は三年にわたって続いた。
The construction continued over a span of three years.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (period / range / scope) | N + にわたって / にわたる (adnominal) | 全国にわたって / 広範囲にわたる |
When: Formal and written — news, reports. The adnominal form before a noun is にわたる (五日にわたる調査).
Examples
交渉は十時間にわたって行われた。
The negotiations went on for ten hours straight.
彼は多方面にわたる才能を持っている。
He has talents spanning many fields.
When you can't use it
- Stresses that something covers the ENTIRE extent of a large span; for a simple deadline/endpoint use まで, for a fuzzy two-edged range use から〜にかけて.
Easily confused with
〜にかけて にかけて marks a vague stretch toward a far edge ('from spring to summer'); にわたって stresses full coverage across a defined span ('throughout the three days'). 〜まで まで marks the endpoint or limit of a range ('until 5 o'clock'); にわたって describes the whole spread of the range itself ('over the entire period').
See にわたって in real sentences
Jengo shows にわたって the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.