They all have a meaning of "praise", but do they have a difference?
2 Answers
These are different forms of praise that can function as a verb or a noun:
- 称赞 - a simple praise or compliment
- 表扬 - to laud or commend someone publicly for his/her deed or achievement
- 夸奖 - lavish praise, sometimes can be viewed as a flattery to please someone
They have similar meanings in daily usage.
I personally consider 赞扬 > 称赞 > 夸奖 = 表扬
表扬 and 夸奖 are more common words and are often used when an elementary student is praised by his/her teacher for a good mark in exam. (It’s definitely natural to use them in other scenarios, but we began to use them frequently since elementary school).
称赞 and 赞扬 are often for someone with greater achievements or a higher moral level, such as someone bravely fought the crime for a just cause. 扬 raises the object to a higher level, for which I consider 赞扬 greater than 称赞
