Winter In Canada: Snow, Warm Clothes And Hockey

What does “toque” mean in Canadian English?

A toque is a warm knitted hat for cold days. It is the normal word for this hat in Canada. Other people may say “beanie” or “winter hat”, but Canadians say toque. The word comes from French. You say it like “tuke”. When it is cold and snowy, a toque keeps your head warm.

In the clip a woman in Canada points to her red hat and says, “In Canada, we call our warm hats toques.” You will also see the spelling tuque. Both are correct. Canadians use this word every winter.