English–Japanese

“runner-up” in Japanese

Japanese

Also次点 (jiten)

Pronunciation

Romajiniban

Example

彼は大会で二番でした。kare wa tai kai de ni ban de shi ta

He was the runner-up in the competition.

Illustration for 二番 (runner-up)

How to say “runner-up” in Japanese

“Runner-up” in Japanese is 二番 (niban).

It identifies the place, order, or number that comes immediately after the first.

Full entry for 二番: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 二番

昨年の売上では、この商品が二番でした。saku nen no uriage de wa ko no shō hin ga ni ban de shi ta

This product ranked second in sales last year.

Tips for using 二番

  • In Japanese baseball, 二番 (niban) in 二番打者 (nibandasha) names the second batting slot, so it refers to lineup order rather than the team's final standing.

Other Japanese words for “runner-up”

彼は次点でした。kare wa ji ten de shi ta

He was the runner-up.

“runner-up” in other languages