渡わたる

わ

た

る

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

Physical movement across a space, such as a bridge, river, or road. Also used metaphorically for crossing borders or moving through life stages.

橋はしを渡わたって右みぎに曲まがってください。
Cross the bridge and turn right.
彼かれは海うみを渡わたって日本にほん

に

来き

た

。

He crossed the sea and came to Japan.

2

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

extend; span; cover; range

usually written using kana alone

Describes a scope that stretches over a period, area, or range. Often used in the pattern 〜にわたって. Usually written in kana for this sense.

Written forms

渡わたるUsage36%
Standard kanji for physical crossing and metaphorical spanning.
わたるUsage62%
Usually written in kana for the 'extend/span' sense.
亘わたるUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form occasionally used for the 'extend/span' sense.
亙わたるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant of 亘る.
渉わたるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form occasionally used for the 'cross over' sense.

Kanji

渡transit, ford, ferry
亘span, range, extend over
亙range, reach, extend
渉

Similar words

渡わたす
Transitive counterpart meaning 'to hand over' or 'to ferry across', not used for spanning or extending.
越こえる
Means 'to go over' or 'to exceed', focusing on surpassing a point rather than crossing a surface or spanning a range.

Etymology

Native Japanese verb. The kanji 渡 is associated with crossing water or passing through, while 亘 and 亙 are used for spanning or extending. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.

ford, go cross, transit