Asian

American  

[ey-zhuhn, ey-shuhn] / ˈeɪ ʒən, ˈeɪ ʃən /

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or characteristic of Asia or its inhabitants.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Asia or a person of Asian descent.

Asian British  

/ ˈeɪʃən, ˈeɪʒən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Asia or to any of its peoples or languages

2. of or relating to natives of the Indian subcontinent or any of their descendants, esp when living in Britain

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Asia or a descendant of one

2. a native of the Indian subcontinent or a descendant of one

Sensitive Note

Asian is the most commonly used term referring to people in or from Asia, especially East Asia. In American English, Oriental as a noun or adjective applied to people is outdated and has become a sensitive term to be avoided. It is associated with a bygone era in which Asians had subordinate status and their culture was perceived as strange and exotic. Also, the origin of the term Oriental represents a Eurocentric view of geography, since the Orient, or East, is east of Europe. However, Oriental is a neutral, inoffensive term when used as an adjective describing Asian culture or things from Asia. Similarly, the term Asiatic is usually offensive when referring to people, but neutral when referring to Asian culture, animals, etc. Though Asian is an acceptable ethnic designation in most contexts, it is best to be as specific as possible, rather than to group all Asians into a single cultural identity. In general, people of South, Southeast, and East Asian origin prefer to be identified by their country of origin: for example, Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. The people of the Middle East and Polynesia are not usually referred to as Asian.

Usage

To refer to someone from the Indian subcontinent as an Asian is potentially offensive and should be avoided. If you are talking about one specific group, it is better to say so, for instance people of Indian descent

Other Word Forms

• anti-Asian adjective
• half-Asian adjective
• non-Asian adjective
• pro-Asian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Asian

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin Asiānus, from Greek Asiānós; Asia, -an

Compare meaning

How does asian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Asian American vs. Asian

Example Sentences

The canal connects north Asian ports with East Coast markets in the U.S. that import goods from China or Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal

Treasury yields edged higher in Asian trade with market focus on U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gold edged lower in the early Asian session on a likely technical correction after gold futures settled at new records overnight.

From The Wall Street Journal

—Asian indexes gained, though markets in Japan were closed for Coming of Age day.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company, also known as Besi, said order strength reflected an increase in bookings by Asian subcontractors as well as renewed capacity purchases by photonics customers.

From The Wall Street Journal