Indian American
South Asian American
An Indian American is an American of Indian descent—someone whose ancestry traces to India.
The term distinguishes from American Indian (Native American) and specifies national origin rather than the broader Asian American.
Indian American communities have grown significantly since immigration reforms in 1965.
The hyphenated form Indian-American functions as an adjective: Indian-American cuisine, Indian-American voters.
Specialty occupation work authorization
- green cardU.S. residency document
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- F-1Academic entry authorization
visa · sponsorship · adjustment of status · permanent resident · work permit · consulate · embassy · USCIS
Hindu festival of lights
- HoliSpring festival of colors
- BollywoodIndian film industry
- bhangraPunjabi folk music and dance
- mehndiOrnamental paste skin designs
sari · kurta · salwar kameez · bindi · Navratri · Eid · puja · aarti
Area where one group concentrates
- EdisonProlific American inventor
- FremontEast Bay California city
- Silicon ValleyBay Area tech corridor
- gurdwaraSikh house of worship
temple · community center · professional network · AAPI · South Asian · model minority · population · demographic
Having two cultural identities
- dual identityHaving two distinct selves
- second-generationDescendants of original arrivals
- desiSubcontinental person or culture
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
third culture · cultural bridge · belonging · generational divide · heritage language · mother tongue · accent · coconut
H-1B
Specialty occupation work authorization
- green cardU.S. residency document
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
- citizenshipStatus as state member
F-1 · visa · sponsorship · adjustment of status · permanent resident · work permit · consulate · embassy · USCIS · lottery
Diwali
Hindu festival of lights
mehndi · sari · kurta · salwar kameez · bindi · Navratri · Eid · puja · aarti
ethnic enclave
Area where one group concentrates
- EdisonProlific American inventor
- FremontEast Bay California city
- Silicon ValleyBay Area tech corridor
gurdwara · temple · community center · professional network · AAPI · South Asian · model minority · population · demographic · doctors
biculturalism
Having two cultural identities
- dual identityHaving two distinct selves
- second-generationDescendants of original arrivals
- desiSubcontinental person or culture
code-switching · third culture · cultural bridge · belonging · generational divide · heritage language · mother tongue · accent · coconut · assimilation
Hinduism
Ancient Indian spiritual tradition
- SikhismPunjabi monotheistic religion
- IslamQuranic monotheistic religion
- JainismIndian religion emphasizing nonviolence
Christianity · Buddhism · temple · mosque · gurdwara · puja · Ganesha · Krishna · Durga · Lakshmi
curry
Aromatic South Asian dish
- biryaniSpiced layered rice dish
- dosaFermented flatbread, subcontinental
- samosaStuffed triangular pastry
chai · tandoori · naan · dal · paneer · masala · chutney · idli · tikka · korma
Indian AmericanChinese American
U.S. citizen with ancestral roots eastward
Japanese American · Korean American · Mexican American · Irish American · Italian American
Indian, American, India, America, Indians, Americans, Indianness, Americanism, Americanize