Satoshi (sats)
Also called: sats · sat
Definition
A satoshi (sat) is the smallest unit of Bitcoin, equal to 0.00000001 BTC, so one bitcoin contains 100,000,000 satoshis.
This entry is shown in English.
How Satoshi works
The unit is named after Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Because BTC has eight decimal places, prices and balances can get awkward to read, so many wallets and apps let you display amounts in sats instead.
Counting in sats makes small purchases feel more natural. Instead of saying you bought 0.00025 BTC, you can say you bought 25,000 sats. People who buy a fixed amount every week often talk about "stacking sats", meaning steadily accumulating small amounts.
Sats also appear in fee settings. On the Bitcoin network, transaction fees are commonly quoted in satoshis per virtual byte (sat/vB). A higher fee rate makes it more likely that miners include your transaction quickly when the network is busy. Exchanges usually charge a fixed BTC withdrawal fee instead and handle the on-chain fee for you.
Example
Suppose BTC trades at 60,000 USDT. One satoshi is then worth 60,000 divided by 100,000,000, which is 0.0006 USDT. If you buy 30 USDT of BTC each week, you get 0.0005 BTC, or 50,000 sats, each time before fees. After 10 weeks at that same price you would hold 500,000 sats, which is 0.005 BTC.
Common mistakes
- Miscounting decimal places and thinking 0.0001 BTC is 1,000 sats instead of 10,000 sats.
- Assuming a satoshi has a fixed dollar value; it changes with the BTC price.
- Setting a very low sat/vB fee in a self-custody wallet when the network is busy, leaving the transaction stuck for hours.
Learn and practise
FAQ
How many satoshis are in 1 bitcoin?
There are exactly 100,000,000 satoshis in 1 BTC.
Can I buy satoshis directly?
You buy BTC, and any fraction you buy is simply a number of satoshis. Some wallets and apps also let you display your balance in sats instead of BTC.
What does stacking sats mean?
It is slang for regularly buying small amounts of bitcoin over time, often through a recurring purchase.