Meaning & usage
It indicates that an event, state, or activity extends continuously across a long period, distance, or broad range of topics. It follows a noun expressing time, length, or scope, as in 長年にわたって, 多岐にわたり, and 広範囲にわたる研究. The にわたって and にわたり forms work adverbially, while にわたる, にわたった, and にわたっている can modify a noun or end a sentence as the predicate. It is formal and suits large scale spans in writing and speeches, and にわたる is normally written in hiragana for this meaning.
Example sentences 5
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彼の生涯はほぼ１世紀にわたった。
His life spanned nearly a century.
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話は多岐にわたった。
We talked about various topics.
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彼の研究は広範囲にわたっている。
His study covers a wide area.
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道路は数マイルにわたってまっすぐ続いていた。
The road ran straight for several miles.
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インドは長年にわたって英国に支配されていた。
India was governed by Great Britain for many years.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 3 past exam questions.
