(Attempting to add a decent, more serious and accurate definition to the lot.)
In the United States, the most common use of the word refers to people originating from East and Southeast Asia (China, Japan, South/North Korea, Vietnam, among others). Indians and
Pakistanis might be referred to as South Asians, where as Filipinos and
Samoans might be called
Pacific Islanders.
In England, "asian" most commonly refers to people of Indian or Pakistani descent, whereas "oriental" might refer to East and Southeast Asians (NOTE: "oriental" is certainly considered politically incorrect in the United States).
Example:
U.S
- I know she's Asian, but where is her family from?
- I think they emigrated here from
Vietnam some years ago.
England
The Asian students presented a traditional Indian dance to their
classmates.