「大きい方」と「一番大きい」と「最大」の違いはなんですか？


These are 3 words I've learned from experience rather than a textbook, and
although I hear them in different contexts as far as I can tell they all mean
the same thing. Could someone clarify what the difference is between 大きい方,
一番大きい, and 最大? Is it formality? Are they all the same?




As commented, 大きい方 is _the bigger/larger_ and the other two are superlatives,
meaning something is the largest/biggest according to some measure.

大きい方 can mean _the bigger (of the two)_ or _bigger than average_.

  * 大きい方のりんご - the bigger apple of the two
  * 彼はクラスでは大きい方だ - He is taller than average in his class.

一番大きい and 最大 basically mean the same, but they are not always interchangeable.
最大 is like _maximum/max_ in English.

  * 彼はクラスで一番大きい - He is the tallest in his class.

Here 最大 can't be used. And also

  * 最大のりんご

is not really idiomatic; at best, it sounds like the particular kind of apple
that is the largest. Or more commonly, 最大の哺乳類 (the largest mammal) denotes
whales.

Mostly it depends on collocations which of 一番大きい and 最大 is natural, but my
feeling is that 最大 is used in more specialized contexts or for abstract
things.




As commented, 大きい方 is _the bigger/larger_ and the other two are superlatives,
meaning something is the largest/biggest according to some measure.

大きい方 can mean _the bigger (of the two)_ or _bigger than average_.

  * 大きい方のりんご - the bigger apple of the two
  * 彼はクラスでは大きい方だ - He is taller than average in his class.

一番大きい and 最大 basically mean the same, but they are not always interchangeable.
最大 is like _maximum/max_ in English.

  * 彼はクラスで一番大きい - He is the tallest in his class.

Here 最大 can't be used. And also

  * 最大のりんご

is not really idiomatic; at best, it sounds like the particular kind of apple
that is the largest. Or more commonly, 最大の哺乳類 (the largest mammal) denotes
whales.

Mostly it depends on collocations which of 一番大きい and 最大 is natural, but my
feeling is that 最大 is used in more specialized contexts or for abstract
things.

