From Latin āsiānus. By surface analysis, Asia + -an.
The modern North American and Australasian usage, referring to East and Southeast Asians collectively, seems to be a shortened form of "Asian American", a term whose origins activists and academics trace back to 1968 and University of California, Berkeley (UCLA) students Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee, who, inspired by the Black Power Movement and the protests against the Vietnam War, founded the "Asian American Political Alliance" as a way to unite Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino American students on campus. It replaced the term "Mongoloid", but still continued the racial grouping of "Mongoloid".
The usage in Britain and some of its former colonies such as South Africa, Kenya and Uganda, stems from South Asians historically forming the bulk of immigrants from the continent of Asia to these places.
In the rest of the Anglosphere, the word "Asian" is sometimes, albeit less frequently, used to refer to South Asians and Central Asians, but rarely (if ever) to Near Easterners.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Of, relating to or from Asia.
There are white, black, Asian and Chinese Britons, just as there are any number of different sorts of Americans. 2015 June 4, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, “The beauty contest winner making Japan look at itself”, in BBC, archived from the original on 22 May 2020:
And some Asian countries are tightening their immigration laws. Japan reinforced its strict stance in January when a court upheld the country’s ban against dual citizenship, rejecting a lawsuit filed by Japanese citizens living in Europe. 2021 March 15, Jessie Yeung, “These Asian countries are giving dual citizens an ultimatum on nationality – and loyalty”, in CNN, archived from the original on 19 Mar 2022:
fa-ira آسِیایی (of, relating to or from Asia) · mk азиски (of, relating to or from Asia) · uk азі́йський (of, relating to or from Asia) · ja アジアの (of, relating to or from Asia) · bn এশিয়ান (of, relating to or from Asia) · ru азиа́тский (of, relating to or from Asia) · vi Á châu (of, relating to or from Asia) · mn ази (of, relating to or from Asia) · ug ئاسىيالىق (of, relating to or from Asia) · vo Siyopik (of, relating to or from Asia) · de asiatisch (of, relating to or from Asia) · ka აზიური (of, relating to or from Asia) · sq aziatik (of, relating to or from Asia) · nn asiatisk (of, relating to or from Asia) · tl Asyahin (of, relating to or from Asia) · lt Azijos (of, relating to or from Asia) · sh а̑зӣјскӣ (of, relating to or from Asia) · kk азиялық (of, relating to or from Asia) · sv asiatisk (of, relating to or from Asia) · haw ʻĀkia (of, relating to or from Asia) · tg осиёӣ (of, relating to or from Asia) · ca asiàtic (of, relating to or from Asia) · ro asiatic (of, relating to or from Asia) · he אַסְיָתִי (of, relating to or from Asia) · da asiatisk (of, relating to or from Asia) · prs آسِیَائِی (of, relating to or from Asia) · el ασιάτικος (of, relating to or from Asia) · az asiyalı (of, relating to or from Asia) · hi एशियाई (of, relating to or from Asia) · ur ایشِیائی (of, relating to or from Asia) · hu ázsiai (of, relating to or from Asia) · lv aziāšu (of, relating to or from Asia) · ar آسِيَوِيّ (of, relating to or from Asia) · kmr asyayî (of, relating to or from Asia) · cs asijský (of, relating to or from Asia) · fi aasialainen (of, relating to or from Asia) · tk aziýaly (of, relating to or from Asia) · be азія́цкі (of, relating to or from Asia) · th เอเชีย (of, relating to or from Asia) · uk азіа́тський (of, relating to or from Asia) · ko 아시아의 (of, relating to or from Asia) · prs آسِیَایِی (of, relating to or from Asia) · vi châu Á (of, relating to or from Asia) · et aasia (of, relating to or from Asia) · tr asyalı (of, relating to or from Asia) · es asiático (of, relating to or from Asia) · sh ȃzījskī (of, relating to or from Asia) · bg азиа́тски (of, relating to or from Asia) · za Yacouh (of, relating to or from Asia) · sl azijski (of, relating to or from Asia) · pl azjatycki (of, relating to or from Asia) · ps آسیايي (of, relating to or from Asia) · ga Áiseach (of, relating to or from Asia) · kw asiek (of, relating to or from Asia) · ky азиялык (of, relating to or from Asia) · es asiano (of, relating to or from Asia) · lt azijiečių (of, relating to or from Asia) · hy ասիական (of, relating to or from Asia) · te ఆసియను (of, relating to or from Asia) · csb azjatny (of, relating to or from Asia) · it asiatico (of, relating to or from Asia) · yi אַזיאַטיש (of, relating to or from Asia) · grc Ἀσιατικός (of, relating to or from Asia) · fr asiatique (of, relating to or from Asia) · el ασιατικός (of, relating to or from Asia) · csb azjacczi (of, relating to or from Asia) · nl Aziatisch (of, relating to or from Asia) · gl asiático (of, relating to or from Asia) · sk ázijský (of, relating to or from Asia) · mn азийн (of, relating to or from Asia) · cmn 亞洲的 /亚洲的 (of, relating to or from Asia) · km អាស៊ី (of, relating to or from Asia) · nb asiatisk (of, relating to or from Asia) · lv Āzijas (of, relating to or from Asia) · lo ອາຊີ (of, relating to or from Asia) · ms Asia (of, relating to or from Asia) · uz osiyolik (of, relating to or from Asia) · lv aziātisks (of, relating to or from Asia) · my အာရှ (of, relating to or from Asia) · fa-ira آسِیائی (of, relating to or from Asia) · is asískur (of, relating to or from Asia) · pt asiático (of, relating to or from Asia)
From Latin āsiānus. By surface analysis, Asia + -an.
The modern North American and Australasian usage, referring to East and Southeast Asians collectively, seems to be a shortened form of "Asian American", a term whose origins activists and academics trace back to 1968 and University of California, Berkeley (UCLA) students Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee, who, inspired by the Black Power Movement and the protests against the Vietnam War, founded the "Asian American Political Alliance" as a way to unite Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino American students on campus. It replaced the term "Mongoloid", but still continued the racial grouping of "Mongoloid".
The usage in Britain and some of its former colonies such as South Africa, Kenya and Uganda, stems from South Asians historically forming the bulk of immigrants from the continent of Asia to these places.
In the rest of the Anglosphere, the word "Asian" is sometimes, albeit less frequently, used to refer to South Asians and Central Asians, but rarely (if ever) to Near Easterners.
Meanings
(Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, US) A person from the continent of Asia, or a descendant thereof - especially: ▸ A person from or with ancestry in East or Southeast Asia, occasionally South Asia.
Hate crimes and attacks on Asians have captured the local news and the national attention since 2020, producing a stream of content that showed innocent people being attacked and belittled in never-ending variations on the same violent theme. 2022 February 17, Eddie Kim, “Is the ‘Boba Liberal’ Really a Race Traitor?”, in MEL Magazine, archived from the original on 02 Jun 2022:
(Kenya, South-Africa, UK, Uganda) A person from the continent of Asia, or a descendant thereof - especially: ▸ A person from or with ancestry in South Asia.
If radio and television programmes are anything to go by, Asians in Britain get up early on a Sunday. 1987 May, Paul Oliver, “Movie Mahal: Indian cinema on ITV Channel 4”, in Popular Music, →DOI, page 215:
It is not true that Asians were inadaptable in East Africa. Nearly all Indian men learned to speak English, and, by the second generation, both sexes had become fluently Anglophone, while continuing to use their native tongue (mostly Gujarati, Cutchi, Punjabi or Hindustani). Most Indians also learned the upland Swahili pidgin which is the trade language of East Africa; while few spoke the “correct” coastal Swahili, their fluency in “kitchen Swahili” was often superior to that of the Europeans. The more rural Indian shopkeepers did indeed become somewhat Africanized, while the urban Indian became more Anglicized. 1981, Pierre van den Berghe, The Ethnic Phenomenon, page 152:
We call upon you to be ready to take over from the non-citizens who are leaving the country. As you are aware, I, on Wednesday the 9th August, 1972, signed a Decree revoking with effect from that date, all entry permits and certificates of residence which had been granted to British citizens of Asian origin and the nationals of India, Pakistan and Bangla Desh. They were, however, permitted to stay in Uganda for a period of 90 days from that day [...] 1972 August 12, Idi Amin Dada, Speeches by His Excellency the President General Idi Amin Dada, Message to the Nation on 12th/13th August, 1972, Address to Disrict Representatives, 29th August, 1972, Mid-night Address to the Nation, 17th December, 1972, Entebbe, Uganda: Government printer:
Were there Taliban beheading people? I didn't tell my parents, but I flinched if an Asian-looking man came close. 2013, Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala:
South Asian (person from the Indian subcontinent) · Asian Indian (person from the Indian subcontinent) · Chinese (person from east Asia) · Indian (person from the Indian subcontinent) · East Asian (person from east Asia) · Pakistani (person from the Indian subcontinent) · Asian · Asiatic (person from Asia) · Oriental Asian (person from east Asia) · East Indian (person from the Indian subcontinent) · Oriental (person from Asia) · Oriental (person from east Asia) · Desi (person from the Indian subcontinent)
Translations (148)
az asiyalı (person from Asia) · vi người Á châu (person from Asia) · bg азиа́тка (person from Asia) · uk азіа́тка (person from Asia) · sk Ázijec (person from Asia) · te ఆసియను (person from Asia) · ro asiatică (person from Asia) · nl Oost-Azische (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · hu indiai (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · sh Azíjac (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · nl Aziaat (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · br Aziadez (person from Asia) · nl Azische (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · sv indier (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · hu ázsiai (person from Asia) · scn siàtica (person from Asia) · sk Ázijka (person from Asia) · scn siàticu (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · pt asiática (person from Asia) · lo ຄົນອາຊີ (person from Asia) · nl Aziaat (person from Asia) · ja 南アジア人 (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · sl azijka (person from Asia) · de Asiat (person from Asia) · af Asiaat (person from Asia) · vi người châu Á (person from Asia) · ru азиа́т (person from Asia) · ko 동아시아인 (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · hi एशियाई (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · cmn 亞洲人 /亚洲人 (person from Asia) · scn siàtica (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · lv aziāts (person from Asia) · pl Hinduska (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · nl Indiër (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · cs Asijka (person from Asia) · ca asiàtic (person from Asia) · it asiatico (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · be азія́т (person from Asia) · sv asiat (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · hu dél-ázsiai (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · es asiano (desus.) (person from Asia) · ja 東アジア人 (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · bcl Asyano (person from Asia) · hy ասիացի (person from Asia) · it asiatica (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · br Aziad (person from Asia) · cs Asijec (person from Asia) · fi aasialainen (person from Asia) · da asiat (person from Asia) · hu ázsiai (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · ur ایشِیائی (person from Asia) · csb Azjata (person from Asia) · nl Azische (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · uk азі́єць (person from Asia) · sh Ази́јац (person from Asia) · ko 동양인 (person from Asia) · my အာရှတိုက်သူ (person from Asia) · nl Indische (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · uz osiyolik (person from Asia) · ar آسِيَوِيّ (person from Asia) · scn siàticu (person from Asia) · be азія́тка (person from Asia) · kk азиялық (person from Asia) · nl Aziaat (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · pt asiática (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · prs آسِیَائِی (person from Asia) · nl Aziatische (person from Asia) · ar آسِيَوِيَّة (person from Asia) · ko 남아시아인 (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · gl asiática (person from Asia) · mk Азиец (person from Asia) · pl Hindus (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · sh А̑зӣјка (person from Asia) · it asiatica (person from Asia) · nl Oost-Aziaat (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · mr आशियाई (person from Asia) · pt asiático (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · tg осиёӣ (person from Asia) · inh азхо (person from Asia) · es asiática (person from Asia) · el Ασιάτης (person from Asia) · haw ʻĀkia (person from Asia) · scn siàticu (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · hi एशियाई (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · eo aziano (person from Asia) · ru азиа́тка (person from Asia) · pl Azjata (person from Asia) · it asiatico (person from Asia) · sv asiat (person from Asia) · vi người Á Đông (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · ik Inupiaŋuaq (person from Asia) · el Ασιάτισσα (person from Asia) · he אסיאתי (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · tl Asyano (person from Asia) · lt azijietė (person from Asia) · ca asiàtica (person from Asia) · bg азиа́тец (person from Asia) · pl Azjatka (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · pt asiática (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · lt azijietis (person from Asia) · es asiático (person from Asia) · sh Ȃzījka (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · fr asiatique (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · fr asiatique (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · vo Siyopan (person from Asia) · sh Ȃzījka (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · de Asiatin (person from Asia) · prs آسِیَایِی (person from Asia) · hi एशियाई (person from Asia) · ko 아시아인 (person from Asia) · fr Asiatique (person from Asia) · csb Azjatka (person from Asia) · cmn 亞裔 /亚裔 (person from Asia) · gl asiático (person from Asia) · pt asiático (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · ky азиялык (person from Asia) · sh Ȃzījka (person from Asia) · scn siàtica (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · lv aziāte (person from Asia) · pt asiático (person from Asia) · ko 동양인 (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · af Asiër (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · ka აზიელი (person from Asia) · pl Azjatka (person from Asia) · pl Azjata (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · uk азі́йка (person from Asia) · ga Áiseach (person from Asia) · fa-ira آسِیایی (person from Asia) · fi intialainen (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · uk азіа́т (person from Asia) · ja アジア人 (person from Asia) · tr Asyalı (person from Asia) · de Asiate (person from Asia) · cmn 東亞裔 /东亚裔 (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · hu kelet-ázsiai (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · hu ázsiai (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · ro asiatic (person from Asia) · hu távol-keleti (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · sl aziat (person from Asia) · fa-ira آسِیائی (person from Asia) · mk Азијка (person from Asia) · cmn 南亞裔 /南亚裔 (person from or descended from people from the Indian sub-continent) · sh Azíjac (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · th คนเอเชีย (person from Asia) · nb asiat (person from Asia) · sh Azíjac (person from Asia) · fi itäaasialainen (person from or descended from people from east Asia) · et aasialane (person from Asia)