This shows a range. It means 'from... to...' or 'around... to around...'. You use it for time or places.
Noun + から + Noun + にかけてPrimary
This shows a range. It means 'from... to...' or 'around... to around...'. You use it for time or places.
昨夜から今朝にかけて雨が降りました。
It rained from last night through to this morning.
この台風は、関東地方から東北地方にかけて接近する見込みです。
This typhoon is expected to approach the area spanning from the Kanto region to the Tohoku region.
80年代から90年代にかけて、そのスタイルの服はあまり人気がありませんでした。
From the 80s to the 90s, clothes of that style were not very popular.
3月下旬から4月上旬にかけて咲く桜は、本当に美しいですね。
The cherry blossoms that bloom from late March to early April are truly beautiful, aren't they?
彼は20代から30代にかけて、作家として最も活躍した。
He was most active as a writer from his 20s through his 30s.
This grammar shows a range. Things happen in different spots within that range. Or they happen at different times. It is not one big, continuous event.
You use '〜から〜まで' for exact times. It means 'from X to Y' with no breaks. '〜から〜にかけて' is for times that are not exact. It means 'from around X to around Y'. The action might not happen the whole time. Another phrase, '〜にわたって', means something covers the *whole* time or area. But '〜にかけて' can mean it happens sometimes within that time.
Don't use this when talking about feelings. For example, you can say "from last night to this morning." You cannot say "from sadness to joy."
Contrasts with(2)
More formal alternatives(1)
Less formal alternatives(4)
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