Christians

===Asian terms===
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2021}}
The most common [[Persian language|Persian]] word is ''Masīhī'' ({{lang|fa|مسیحی}}), from [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. Other words are ''Nasrānī'' ({{lang|fa|نصرانی}}), from [[Classical Syriac|Syriac]] for "Nazarene", and ''Tarsā'' ({{lang|fa|ترسا}}), from [[Middle Persian]] word ''Tarsāg'', also meaning "Christian", derived from ''tars'', meaning "fear, respect".<ref>[[MacKenzie, D. N.]] (1986). ''A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary''. London: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-713559-5}}</ref>

An old Kurdish word for Christian frequently in usage was ''felle'' (فەڵە), coming from the root word meaning "to be saved" or "attain salvation".<ref>Hazhar Mukriyani, (1990) ''Hanbanaborina Kurdish-Persian Dictionary'' Tehran, Soroush press p.527.</ref>

The Syriac term ''Nasrani'' (Nazarene) has also been attached to the [[Saint Thomas Christians]] of [[Kerala]], India. In [[North India|northern India]] and [[Pakistan]], Christians are referred to ''ʿĪsāʾī'' ({{lang-hi|ईसाई}}, {{lang-ur|عیسائی}}).<ref name="John2020">{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Vinod |title=Believing Without Belonging?: Religious Beliefs and Social Belonging of Hindu Devotees of Christ |date=19 November 2020 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-9722-7 |page=111 |language=en |quote=“Isai” is the most common form of address for Christians throughout northern India.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Catholic priest in saffron robe called 'Isai Baba' |url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Catholic-priest-in-saffron-robe-called---Isai-Baba--/402458/ |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=24 December 2008 | url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113175911/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Catholic-priest-in-saffron-robe-called---Isai-Baba--/402458/ |archive-date=13 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Philpott |first1=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uHRJDwAAQBAJ&dq=isaai+pakistan&pg=PA249 |title=Under Caesar's Sword: How Christians Respond to Persecution |last2=Shah |first2=Timothy Samuel |date=2018-03-15 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-42530-8 |language=en}}</ref> ''Masīhī'' ({{lang-hi|मसीही}}, {{lang-ur|مسیحی}}) is a term Christians use to refer to themselves as well.<ref name="Bharati2004">{{cite book |last1=Bharati |first1=Swami Dayanand |title=Living Water and Indian Bowl |date=1 June 2004 |publisher=William Carey Publishing |isbn=978-1-64508-562-1 |language=en}}</ref>

In the past, the [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]]s used to call Christians in [[Malay language]] by the Portuguese loanword ''{{lang|ms|Serani}}'' (from Arabic ''Nasrani''), but the term now refers to the modern [[Kristang people|Kristang]] creoles of [[Malaysia]]. In the [[Indonesian language]], the term ''{{lang|id|Nasrani}}''" is also used alongside ''{{lang|id|Kristen}}''.

The Chinese word is {{linktext|基督|徒}} ({{transliteration|zh|pinyin|jīdū tú}}), literally "Christ follower". The name "Christ" was originally phonetically written in Chinese as 基利斯督, which was later abbreviated as 基督.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3-480274|title = 基督とは}}</ref> ''Kî-tuk'' in the southern [[Hakka dialect]], the two characters are pronounced ''Jīdū'' in Mandarin Chinese. In Vietnam, the same two characters read ''[[:wikt:Cơ đốc|Cơ đốc]]'', and a "follower of Christianity" is a {{lang|vi|tín đồ Cơ đốc giáo}}.

[[File:JapaneseChristiansInPortugueseCostume16-17thCentury.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|Japanese Christians ("Kurisuchan") in Portuguese costume, 16–17th century]]

In Japan, the term ''[[kirishitan]]'' (written in Edo period documents {{lang|ja|吉利支丹}}, {{lang|ja|切支丹}}, and in modern Japanese histories as {{lang|ja|キリシタン}}), from Portuguese ''{{lang|pt|cristão}}'', referred to Roman Catholics in the 16th and 17th centuries before the religion was banned by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. Today, Christians are referred to in [[Standard Japanese]] as {{lang|ja|キリスト教徒}} ({{transliteration|ja|Kirisuto-kyōto}}) or the English-derived term {{lang|ja|クリスチャン}} ({{transliteration|ja|kurisuchan}}).

Korean still uses {{lang|ko|기독교도}} ([[Revised Romanization|RR]]: {{transliteration|ko|RR|Gidokkyodo}}) for "Christian", though the Portuguese loanword {{lang|ko|그리스도}} ([[Revised Romanization|RR]]: {{transliteration|ko|RR|Geuriseudo}}) now replaced the old [[Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] {{lang|ko|기독}} ([[Revised Romanization|RR]]: {{transliteration|ko|RR|Gidok}}), which refers to Christ himself.

In Thailand, the most common terms are {{lang|th|คนคริสต์}} ([[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: {{transliteration|th|khon khrit}}) or {{lang|th|ชาวคริสต์}} ([[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: {{transliteration|th|chao khrit}}) which literally means "Christ person/people" or "Jesus person/people". The Thai word {{lang|th|คริสต์}} ([[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]: {{transliteration|th|khrit}}) is derived from "Christ".

In the [[Philippines]], the most common terms are ''{{lang|tl|Kristiyano}}'' (for "Christian") and ''Kristiyanismo'' (for "Christianity") in most [[Philippine languages]]; both derives from Spanish ''{{lang|es|cristiano}}'' and ''{{lang|es|cristianismo}}'' (also used in [[Chavacano]]) due to the country's rich history of early Christianity during the [[History of the Philippines (1565–1898)|Spanish colonial era]]. Some Protestants in the Philippines uses the term ''{{lang|tl|Kristiyano}}'' (before the term "[[born again]]" became popular) to differentiate themselves from [[Catholic Church in the Philippines|Catholics]] (''Katoliko'').