Oriental/oriental (n., adj.)

use Asian, Asian American, or be specific: Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, etc. In 2016, the Obama administration barred its use in all federal documents; Rep. Grace Meng, who sponsored the legislation, said that "at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good." (Note that medicine, rugs, art, and other items may be described as oriental.) Not everyone agrees: "I don't see it that way.... Besides, the term has been steadily falling out of circulation since the 1950s, and it's mainly used today by older Asians and the proprietors of hundreds if not thousands of restaurants, hotels, shops, and organizations with Oriental in their name" (Jayne Tsuchiyama, "What's wrong with the word 'Oriental'?" Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2016). On the other hand, using such a broad descriptor of an individual is poor writing: the adjective might be useful, but nobody needs the noun "Oriental."See also microaggressions.