noun
Used for ordinal position, ranking, or the second item in a sequence. Can refer to a person or thing that is second best or the runner-up in a competition.
彼はマラソンで二番だった。
He came in second in the marathon.
二番目の問題が一番難しかった。
The second question was the hardest.
一番 means 'first' or 'number one', while 二番 means 'second' or 'number two'.
二位 is more formal and specifically means 'second place' in a ranking, while 二番 is a broader term for 'second' in various contexts.
Compound of 二 (ni, 'two') and 番 (ban, 'number' or 'order').