Coin
The native asset of its own blockchain, used to pay fees and secure the network, unlike a token built on top.
A coin is the built-in currency of a blockchain. Bitcoin has BTC and Ethereum has ETH. The coin pays transaction fees and rewards the miners or validators who secure the chain. Without it, the network has no way to price block space or fight spam.
The line between coin and token is technical but real. A coin is native; change it and you change the protocol itself. A token is just a contract deployed on someone else's chain. People use 'coin' loosely in conversation, calling any crypto a coin, but the distinction shapes how an asset behaves and what secures it.
Related terms
A digital asset issued on top of an existing blockchain, usually through a smart contract rather than its own network.
AltcoinAny cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, a catch-all that spans serious networks and short-lived speculative tokens alike.
Bitcoin DominanceBitcoin's share of the total crypto market capitalization, used to gauge where money is rotating.
Block RewardNew coins plus fees paid to whoever adds the next valid block, the main incentive securing the chain.