For those of you who are learning Québec French, you may have noticed that many words and phrases differ from those in international French. One of these words is the Québécois tuque, which refers to a snow hat, a beanie or a bobble hat (known as a tuque à pompon in Québec French).
The French speakers from Europe or Africa may not recognize this word unless they are familiar with Québécois French. Instead, they are most likely to use terms such as bonnet de laine.
In Canadian English, however, tuque is commonly used to refer to this hat, which could be described as the official Canadian or Québécois hat. The spelling toque is also used in Canadian English (but not in Québec French).
According to the Usito dictionary, the first recorded use of tuque in Québec French dates back to 1726. Le Robert also suggests this word might come from toque, which refers to another type of hat in modern French.
Examples of Tuque in Context
- Il fait tellement froid aujourd’hui que je ne peux pas sortir sans ma tuque.
- It’s so cold today that I can’t go out without my tuque.
- Les enfants ont besoin de leur tuque avant de sortir jouer dans la neige.
- The children need their tuque before going out to play in the snow.