Difference between もっとも and 一番


When expressing a superlative meaning ("the most ..."), what is the difference
between the usage of もっとも and 一番？ (e.g. もっとも大きい vs. 一番大きい)




Simply, 一番 is colloquial/casual, and 最も is formal/technical. Oh, this is one
of the rare cases where 漢語 words are more informal than the 和語 versions.

In addition, 最も can only function as a modifier, while 一番 can work as a noun
which means _number one_.

>   * 私が一番だ。: OK
>   * 私が最もだ。: NG
>




Simply, 一番 is colloquial/casual, and 最も is formal/technical. Oh, this is one
of the rare cases where 漢語 words are more informal than the 和語 versions.

In addition, 最も can only function as a modifier, while 一番 can work as a noun
which means _number one_.

>   * 私が一番だ。: OK
>   * 私が最もだ。: NG
>

