At a glance
～にわたって means "over", "throughout" or "across". It shows that something covers a whole span of time, a wide area, or a wide range. It is usually used in formal speech and writing.
Noun + にわたって / にわたり + verb phrase
Noun + にわたる / にわたった + noun
会議は三日間にわたって行われました。 The meeting was held over three days.
How to form it
にわたって attaches to a noun that shows a span: a period, an area, or a range.
| Form | Attaches to | Example | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| にわたって | Noun, then a verb phrase | 十年にわたって働いた | Formal speech and writing |
| にわたり | Noun, then a verb phrase | 全国にわたり雨が降った | More formal, mostly written |
| にわたる + noun | Noun, then the noun it describes | 二十年にわたる研究 | Formal |
| にわたった + noun | Noun, then the noun it describes | 長時間にわたった会議 | Formal |