Minor pairs ("crosses") do not include the USD: EUR/GBP, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY, AUD/NZD, etc. Wider spreads, lower liquidity, but often more personality than majors.
Exotics pair a major with an emerging-market currency: USD/TRY (Turkey), USD/ZAR (South Africa), USD/MXN (Mexico). Very wide spreads, brutal volatility, frequent slippage.
Beginner rule: stay on majors for the first three months. Exotics are veteran terrain — not from snobbery, but because costs and shocks eat your capital faster than setups build it.