>A pointer is just an address for something. There is a "reference" operator to get a variable's address (pointer) and a "dereference" operator to get the data

>A pointer is just an address for something. There is a "reference" operator to get a variable's address (pointer) and a "dereference" operator to get the data at a given address. That's it. Everybody's brain is different but your exact "simple" explanation for pointers has been tried on many beginners and they still don't "get it". It's still going to be confusing. For many (most?) beginners, it's only after they've done some examples when they can go back and re-read your simple explanation such that it makes sense. Therefore, your simple "definition" becomes understandable after the person has learned what pointers are through examples.