GRAMMAR DETAIL

〜にのぼる

to reach · to amount to

Indicates that a countable total, such as a number of people or an amount of money, reaches a large and noteworthy figure.

Examples

会場に集まった人は一万人にのぼった。

The number of people gathered at the venue reached ten thousand.

この行事には千人にのぼる人が訪れた。

As many as one thousand people visited this event.

被害額は十億円にのぼると発表された。

It was announced that the damage amounted to one billion yen.

Structure: にのぼる after a large quantity presents the total as reaching a noteworthy figure.
Basic usage: 会場に集まった人は一万人にのぼった。 says the number gathered at the venue reached ten thousand.

Reaching a figure versus exceeding it
- 一万人にのぼった emphasizes reaching the scale of ten thousand people. It should not be arbitrarily replaced with 一万人を超えた, which says the number was exceeded.
When the quantity clause modifies a noun
- In 千人にのぼる人が訪れた, 千人にのぼる describes the scale of the group that visited. The final 訪れた is past, so the earlier のぼる does not turn the visit into a future event.