With react-i18next v4.4.0 we introduced a new component Trans:
<Trans i18nKey="optionalKey">See the <Link to="/more">description</Link> below.</Trans>
The json would be: See the <1>description</1> below.
or even more complex:
<Trans i18nKey="userMessagesUnread" count={count}>
Hello <strong title={t('nameTitle')}>{{name}}</strong>, you have {{count}} unread message. <Link to="/msgs">Go to messages</Link>.
</Trans>
The new feature is documented here: https://react.i18next.com/latest/trans-component