forum How to describe Asian characters without using "Asian"

Started November 19, 2018 by @yeetus

tune

I have some Asian characters but it's set in a different world so there's no "Asian"

Just say they look Asian or say they have Asian qualities like their skin tone or slanted eyes, qualities you'd find in Asian people.

Very ashamed Asian child asking this question
Could work

Can I ask exactly where in Asia you plan on having these characters be based on? Like, East Asia or South Asia? From there, I usually lean on names to tell if they're based off of a specific country and try to make sure some part of their culture is relevant. For example, I have a character named Ruka who is a kitsune. Japanese name with a Japanese mythological creature, and yet no Japan to mention. Appearance can actually be kind of difficult to work with because not everyone in an ethnic group has similar features. Not everyone who is East Asian has a monolid, for example. Not every Latin person has dark or even brown skin. I think names are pretty reliable as a base, and then the imagery of the character will fall into place for the reader without too much effort/stress needed on what they look like.

Thanks
But I can't really do the names too Chinese because it won't work for the world setting so I guess I can just describe their culture and appearance instead

Maybe by making harmless jokes you can establish that?

Huh?

Mention skin tone and height. Also give them the name to match. One of my planets has humans that are half Asian with Japanese dominance, and the other half is German-English mix. All my dudes from there have names like Kaiman Kiyaradari, Aya Sannami, and Yarri Undama.