Intercultural LGBTQ+ terminology: the metapragmatic reception of “ku’er” (a Chinese translation of “queer”) in mainland China

Abstract LGBTQ+ terminologies play a critical role in LGBTQ+ activism, and their translation is central to the transcultural mobilization of such activism. The socio-normative influence of LGBTQ+ terminologies is fundamentally related to pragmatics. However, existing scholarship has paid limited attention to these terminologies used in the broader public realm, especially how their translation is received in contexts beyond the Global North. This article situates LGBTQ+ terminologies within pragmatics and theorizes their intercultural reception through a metapragmatic lens. Based on this theorization, an empirical study was conducted to investigate the reception of “ku’er” (a creative transliteration of “queer”) in mainland China, particularly among members outside the LGBTQ+ community. Using a free word association test with Likert-type items, the study found that “ku’er” predominantly evoked positive default interpretations among the participants, which were sustained and reutilized in the follow-up interview. Despite being an ambiguous translation, “ku’er” was perceived to reduce stigma, arouse curiosity, and function as a semiotic buffer that facilitates public engagement with LGBTQ+ issues. These findings reveal significant mutations and paradoxes in the intercultural circulation of “queer” in mainland China.