多大 or 多少？
Could these two terms be used interchangeably, and if not what is the difference between them? When should they be used?
2 Answers
多大 is about the size (how big, how old)
多少 is about the quantity (how many, how much)
(1) 他的年齡有多大？
(2) 他多少歲？
In (1), the question is asked from the point of view of the accumulation.
In (2), it is asked from the point of view of the precise number solely.
Could these two terms be used interchangeably? No, because even if they do are used in the same linguistic context, the meaning of the sentences won't be the same.
(3) 他給你提供的幫助有多大？
(4) 他給你提供的幫助有多少？
In (3), it is about the importance of the help (thus it is more subjective).
In (4), it is solely about the number (from an already expected amount).
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1Adding on to this, as a native Cantonese speaker, since "多多?" might sound awkward to ask, I'm purely guessing that's why "多少" is used. In Cantonese, "幾" substitutes the "how", and "幾多", "幾大" are the preferred way of asking for "how many", and "how large" specifically and as the default, whereas "幾少" and "幾細" are specifically asking for "how few" and "how small". Commented Feb 3, 2021 at 13:56
多大 1:多大的物品？我一个人能搬动吗？ 2:你多大了？(你几岁了？) 3:这个电视机尺寸有多大？ 4:多大的尺码合适你？XXL可以吗？ 5:(多大)(很大)(太大)(好大)(夸大)
多少 1:老板，这个多少钱？ 2:我要给多少钱给你？ 3: 有多少人来过这里？ 4:要花多少时间才能到达目的地？
