Signs9 min read·
Canadian road signs explained
Regulatory, warning, and guide signs — what every shape and colour means.
Most provincial test questions about signs can be answered from the shape and colour alone. Memorising the visual category gets you most of the way before you even read the words.
Shapes
- Octagon — always Stop.
- Inverted triangle — always Yield.
- Diamond — warning of a hazard ahead.
- Pentagon (school house) — school zone or crossing.
- Round — railway crossing ahead.
- Rectangle (vertical) — regulatory (must obey).
- Rectangle (horizontal) — guide or destination information.
Colours
- Red — stop, yield, or prohibition.
- Yellow — general warning.
- Fluorescent yellow-green — school, pedestrian, or cyclist warning.
- Orange — construction or temporary condition.
- Green — direction or destination.
- Blue — driver services (hospitals, rest areas, gas).
- Brown — parks and recreation areas.
How to study signs efficiently
Cover the words in the handbook and quiz yourself just on shape and colour. Once you can predict what category a sign is from a glance, the wording usually confirms what you already knew.