Categorical variable
Categorical variables are represented by words or categories instead of numbers, with individuals falling into certain categories. For example, gender is a commonly used categorical variable. Categorical variables can be either ordinal (the categories can be ranked from high to low) or nominal (the categories cannot be ranked from high to low).
Gender is an example of a nominal variable because the categories (woman, man, transgender, non-binary, etc.) cannot be ordered from high to low.
Olympic medals are an example of an ordinal variable because the categories (gold, silver, bronze) can be ordered from high to low.