88822
日本一 means the best in Japan. So, can you use 日本二 for the second best thing in
Japan? If not, how do I describe the second one? "日本第二位のもの" sounds like
something that Japan has taken second place in.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-08T01:31:41.207
88818
2021-08-08T05:34:43.917
46812
question
word-choice
Is 日本二 acceptable?
Short answer: No.

日本二の will be understood with appropriate contexts, but can be used only in
casual speech and half-jokingly.

日本第二位の sounds ok, and at least does not sound like you describe. 日本が第二位である
would be used for something for which Japan has the 2nd place. But the
following will be more common:

  * 大阪は日本第二の都市だ : Osaka is the 2nd largest city in Japan. (Note: maybe it should be Yokohama in reality. It depends on what _large_ means.)
  * 日本はかつて世界第二位の経済大国だった : Japan was once the 2nd largest economy in the world.
  * 日本は X で世界第二位を占める : Japan occupies the 2nd place in X
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-08T05:34:43.917
88822
2021-08-08T05:34:43.917
45489
88818
answer