I just realized that many people are entering the crypto world, but they’re confused by the terminology. From FOMO to HODL, from altcoin to air coin, everything feels unfamiliar. But once you understand the concepts, it’s actually pretty easy to navigate this space.

Let’s start with the most basic things. There are terms like FOMO, which means fear of missing out—the fear of missing an opportunity. Then there’s HODL, which used to be a typo but became community slang for holding long-term. GM is also often seen on crypto Twitter; it’s an abbreviation for good morning. When the market is bearish, people say bear market; when bullish, they say bull market. You also need to know about ATH and ATL—they stand for all-time high and all-time low.

In the community, we also know the term paus, referring to investors who hold in large amounts. Then there’s pump and dump, which is a fairly dangerous market manipulation. If you want to keep up with developments, you need to know about DeFi, staking, mining, and liquidity pool. These terms come up a lot in discussions. There are also things that need to be paid attention to, such as smart contract, gas fee, NFT, and rug pull, which are forms of scams.

When it comes to trading, there are BTD or buy the dip, which means buying when the price drops. APY stands for annual percentage yield, which is often used for yield farming. TVL, or total value locked, is important for measuring the scale of a DeFi project. Then there are technical terms like Layer 1 and Layer 2, cross-chain, oracle, and airdrop. You also need to understand soft fork and hard fork to understand blockchain updates. Hash rate, block reward, and satoshi are important units in the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Now, let’s move on to coin classification. Altcoin refers to all coins other than Bitcoin; they exist to improve Bitcoin’s features or offer different functions. Ethereum, for example—it brings smart contracts that are revolutionary. Altcoins can differ in their consensus mechanisms, transaction speed, or use cases. This diversity brings many choices, but also risks that need to be evaluated carefully.

Then there’s the term shitcoin, which usually refers to coins that have little substance. Many are just minor variations of other coins without meaningful innovation. Their prices are often influenced by market hype rather than technical capability. The risk of market manipulation is also high here.

Meme coin is a pretty unique and trending category. These are coins created based on internet memes or pop-culture elements. Dogecoin is the most well-known—originally made as a joke, but gradually it gained support from a large community. Elon Musk has openly supported Dogecoin, which made its value rise significantly. Meme coins have active communities on social media, but their price volatility is extremely high. If something booms, people say it becomes golden dog, but if it crashes, it goes back to zero. There are also PEPE, Shiba Inu, referred to as Dogecoin killer—everything here is a popular meme coin.

Air coin, or koin udara, is the one that should be avoided the most. These are coins that basically have no value—just hype and propaganda. There’s a lack of transparency, lack of long-term support, and they’re often involved in scams. Investing here is very risky and you can lose funds quickly.

For those who are just getting started, it’s extremely important to do in-depth research before investing. Understand the technology, the team, the project’s market position, and the potential risks behind every project. Don’t just follow hype or have an LFG mentality without due diligence. There’s also a term DYOR, meaning do your own research, and it’s very relevant. With a solid understanding of these terms, you can be more confident navigating the crypto space and making more informed investment decisions.