Cryptocurrency is actually a simple concept, isn’t it? Lately you’ve probably been hearing the word “crypto” a lot, but do you know what it’s short for?

Originally, it’s an abbreviation of “Cryptocurrency.” It’s a coined term combining “Crypto (cryptography)” and “Currency.” In other words, cryptocurrency means a currency created using cryptographic technology.

In Japan, it’s generally called “cryptocurrency,” but it can also be referred to as “digital currency” or “virtual currency.” Basically, they all point to the same concept.

The essence of cryptocurrency is that, unlike conventional centralized financial systems, it’s supported by cryptographic technology. That was what made it revolutionary.

So when you see the term cryptocurrency now, you can just understand it as “a currency that uses cryptographic technology.” Specific projects such as Bitcoin and Ethereum also exist under this cryptocurrency concept.