Just like the traditional finance world, the crypto world has its own slang terms. Understanding the meaning behind each slang term can help us grasp the message. Additionally, using slang makes it easier to engage and communicate with the crypto community. To help you navigate the exciting world of crypto, here are some popular crypto slang terms to get you started!

Article Summary

• 💪 Understanding slang’s meaning and context can help us understand its message.
• 🔥 There are various types of slang in the crypto world, from those representing emotion, sentiment, trading to crypto culture.
• ✨ The ability to use crypto slang can make it easier for us to communicate with the crypto community.

About Crypto Slang

New investors often feel alienated when exploring the crypto world. Many new technology concepts and slang words create a barrier to understanding the crypto landscape.

Understanding the context behind crypto slang can be a game-changer for investors. Crypto communities on platforms like Twitter, Discord, and other social media platforms frequently use these slangs, making it difficult to follow conversations without prior knowledge.

Luckily, the Pintu Academy team has compiled a guide to the most common crypto slangs and its meaning.

Emotion & Sentiment Slang in Crypto

FOMO

Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is a term that refers to the fear of missing out on a trend. The term is very general and not just specific to the crypto world. Usually, FOMO is aimed at people who make decisions based on following the crowd and not wanting to be left behind.

When a meme coin is hyped, FOMO investors will immediately buy it without doing research. If the FOMO momentum is incorrect, these investors will likely become exit liquidity.

FUD

FUD, which stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, is a tactic used to spread negativity and manipulate the perception of an asset. The crypto community also uses it to describe people who are pessimistic about the market.

For example, with Bitcoin spot ETF news happening, some may dismiss it as a bubble or claim Bitcoin won't be recognized as a valid investment. These could be attempts at FUD to discourage investors and dampen the current market enthusiasm.

HODL

HODL is the word “hold” misspelled and is an acronym for “Hold on for Dear Life.” It started with someone misspelling the word ‘hold’ in an early Bitcoin forum. HODL refers to the decision to keep crypto rather than sell it.

Even though BTC is down 50%, an investor will not sell his assets because he believes that the BTC price will rebound in the long term. Thus, the investor HODLs his BTC.

REKT

REKT is a term derived from the word ‘wrecked.’ It is used when a trader or investor’s portfolio suffers a significant loss. In practice, REKT is also often used to describe a large liquidation of crypto.

After the token unlock agenda, the AEVO price dropped by more than 50% in the short term. Those AEVO token holders who did not cutloss then experienced REKT.

Mooning

Mooning is a term for the crypto price that is projected to increase sharply. It is also known as going to the moon. Investors or traders often use this term to determine the best time to sell their crypto to get the best price.

Usually, the term mooning is used when a token undergoes an update, or a new project launches its token. For example, Project ABC has just launched the token XYZ. “With ABC technology and potential, XYZ token will be mooning.”

Slang in Crypto Trading

Bagholder

Bagholder is a term for investors who hold onto their assets despite the price continuing to decline. They may even continue to hold their assets even though the asset’s value has fallen to essentially 0. Bagholders usually do this because they hope the price eventually bounces back.

Investors who bought DOT during the 2021 bull run and still hold the asset today are an example of a bagholder.

Whale

A whale is an individual or organization that holds a significant amount of crypto. There is no definite amount to categorize someone as a whale. However, the ownership must be substantial enough to influence the market with their buying or selling activities. In Indonesian, the whale has the same meaning as “bandar”.

MicroStrategy is considered one of the BTC's whales because it holds 193,000 BTC.

Shill

Shill is a term in the crypto community that refers to promoting a crypto asset or project. The person who does it is called a Shiller. Most shillers are crypto influencers on X. There are open shills and hidden shills. An open shill can provide free information. However, it could also be an irresponsible trap.

Usually, you can find Shills on lists of recommended potential tokens from some influencers.

Pump and Dump

Pump-and-dump is a term for a fraudulent scheme that artificially inflates crypto prices. A group of investors will make large, coordinated purchases, creating a false impression of high demand and driving the price up. This surge attracts new buyers, often unaware of the manipulation.

Once the price is high, the perpetrators quickly sell their holdings (dump), causing the price to plummet.

Rug Pull

Rug pull adalah istilah yang mengacu pada skema penipuan di mana developer meninggalkan proyek crypto yang mereka buat setelah mengumpulkan dana dari investor. Cara ini melibatkan mekanisme penarikan dana ke dalam kode di balik proyek crypto-nya.

Rug pull is a form of fraud in which developers abandon their crypto projects after raising funds from investors. The project development team did a rug pull by embedding a withdrawal mechanism into the smart contract code.

A typical rug pull will also involve a pump and dump scheme to drive up the price. But instead of selling the asset when the price is high, the scammers will activate a code to drain all investors’ funds.

Ape

Apeing is a popular term in the crypto community for buying coins or tokens based on sentiment and bandwagoning, often without careful research. This copycat behavior led to it being called ape, like the ape species that often copy what they see. In addition, apeing is another form of FOMO to buy something.

Slang on Crypto Culture

WAGMI

WAGMI stands for “We Are Going to Make It.” This term has a special meaning in the crypto community. Before crypto became popular, BTC and ETH holders went through a bearish phase that eventually turned bullish. This transformation from long-term loss to profit gave birth to the expression of optimism known as WAGMI.

After the 2021 bull run, BTC and other crypto assets fell sharply and entered a prolonged bearish phase. Investors who continue to buy and hold crypto because they believe in its prospects will generally encourage each other by saying WAGMI.

NGMI

NGMI stands for Not Gonna Make It. It is a popular term for expressing disapproval of someone else’s decision. In practice, the use of NGMI is to put down and ridicule the other person’s investment decision or lack of knowledge.

Let's say an investor buys ABCD tokens. However, another investor believes that the token does not have good prospects. He then states, "You bought ABCD tokens? NGMI."

Copium

Copium is a term that combines two words, “cope” and “opium.” Copium is not exclusive to the crypto community; it originated in Twitch. Copium describes an investor in denial and unable to accept hard facts. Instead, they rely on false hopes, like opium addiction.

The rug pulls victims who become bagholders and generally become people full of copium. They reject the idea that they are rug-pull victims and hope their token value will bounce back.

Hopium

Hopium is a combination of “hope” and “opium.” It is used to describe investors who hold unreasonable expectations in their investments. While they may seem similar to copium, they are used in different contexts. Hopium relies on unfounded hope, while copium denies reality and relies on false hope.

 Buying tokens from dead projects in the hope that they will increase in value someday is a form of hopium.

Wen Lambo?

Wen Lambo is short for “When will you buy a Lamborghini.” It is often used to satirize people who only focus on token price movements. The Lamborghini symbolizes the success of early crypto investors who were able to buy luxury cars with their profits.

Many people using the crypto slang phrase ‘When Lambo?’ to ask when a crypto investment will be worth enough to buy a Lamborghini.

LFG

LFG stands for “Let’s F***ing Go!” It’s a term used to express excitement about positive news or interest in a project.

An example of LFG is "Ethereum spot ETF LFG approved, time for ETH to record a new ATH 🚀”

GM & GN

GM stands for “good morning,” while GN stands for “good night.” In the crypto community, both convey positive messages, greet each other, and build camaraderie online.

Usually, GM greetings are tweeted when starting the day and GN when to end the day. Then, other users will reply with GM and GN as well.

Other Slangs

Diamond Hands

Diamond hands refer to a trader with a high-risk tolerance for tokens with very high volatility. They will not sell their assets regardless of market conditions, even when losing money. Diamond hands will only sell their assets when the token price has reached its potential.

A trader may have lost 80% but is unwilling to cut losses because he believes the asset price will rebound. He then sells it only when he has a 200% profit. Then, the trader is considered to have diamond hands.

Paper Hands

Paper hands are the opposite of diamond hands as they have low-risk tolerance on tokens with very high volatility. They refer to traders who immediately sell their assets at the first sign of trouble or a significant correction. In other words, they do not hesitate to exit their position immediately to prevent further losses.

A trader who just bought meme coins immediately experienced a 30% correction. Seeing this, he immediately sold all his assets to avoid further losses. Then, the trader is considered to have paper hands.

Degen

Degen is a term derived from the word “degenerate.” It refers to people who trade with very high-risk tokens, like shit tokens. What sets Degens apart is their willingness to take the risk of rug pull or other potential significant losses to make high profits.

Degen generally trades newly traded tokens through DEX and is chronically online on the X platform, discord, and so on.

Normies

Normie is a term aimed at investors or traders with minimal basic knowledge about crypto and blockchain and average incomes. Generally, the Degen group uses this term to distinguish itself from other investors or traders.

Normies are usually associated with new investors just starting crypto trading.

DYOR

Do Your Own Research, or DYOR is a term that encourages everyone to do their research before making financial decisions. With so many shill, pump-and-dump, and rug-pull agendas, it is important to do DYOR. Don’t make investment decisions based on the recommendations of others or follow trends.

Buy Crypto Assets on Pintu

Looking to invest in crypto assets? No worries, you can safely and conveniently purchase a wide range of cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, SOL, and others safely and easily on Pintu. Pintu diligently evaluates all its crypto assets, highlighting the significance of being cautious.

Pintu is also compatible with popular wallets such as Metamask to facilitate your transactions. Download Pintu app on Play Store and App Store! Your security is guaranteed because Pintu is regulated and supervised by Bappebti and Kominfo.

Aside from buying and trading crypto assets, you can expand your knowledge about cryptocurrencies through various Pintu Academy articles. Updated weekly, all Pintu Academy articles are made for knowledge and educational purposes, not as financial advice