In Chinese online communication, the repeated form “ha” is a frequent expressive form whose pragmatic functions extend beyond the literal representation of laughter. Different repetition lengths tend to convey different interpersonal meanings and affective stances in specific contexts. Drawing on Relevance Theory, this study investigates the pragmatic functions of “ha” repetition on Weibo and examines how these functions are related to repetition length. The data consist of 109 Weibo posts collected during February 2026. These posts are divided into five groups according to the number of repeated “ha” characters and are then qualitatively analyzed in context. The findings show that shorter forms of “ha” are more likely to mitigate tone, maintain politeness, or signal irony; medium-length repetitions more often express mild amusement, affiliative interaction, and positive response; longer repetitions tend to intensify emotion, increase textual salience, and, in some contexts, produce exaggerated or performative effects. The study argues that the pragmatic value of “ha” repetition is not determined by form alone, but emerges from the interaction among repetition length, contextual information, and readers’ inferential processing. This research contributes to a better understanding of online laughter expressions and their pragmatic mechanisms in contemporary Chinese discourse.

Yufei Zhou. A Study on the Pragmatic Functions of "Ha" Repetition on Weibo from the Perspective of Relevance Theory. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2026), Vol. 9, Issue 5: 8-13. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2026.090502.

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