Road signs

Know your road signs

Signs are grouped by shape and colour. Learn the group and you can read a sign you have never seen before.

Warning signs Triangular, red border. Warn of a hazard ahead — a bend, junction, children or slippery road.
Priority & yield Regulate who goes first: stop, yield, priority road and priority over oncoming traffic.
Prohibition signs Round, red border. Something is forbidden — no entry, no overtaking, speed limits, no stopping.
Mandatory signs Round, blue. Something is required — a direction you must take, or a lane for a specific type of traffic.
Information signs Blue, square. Give useful information — motorway, one-way street, pedestrian crossing, parking.
Service signs Show services near the road — fuel, food, hospital, rest area and similar.
Guide signs Help you navigate — place names, directions, road numbers and distances.
Supplementary signs Small signs under a main sign that limit or specify it — distance, time or vehicle group.

Read a sign from its shape and colour

  • Triangle + red border = warning. Slow down and look for the hazard.
  • Circle + red border = prohibition. Something is not allowed.
  • Blue circle = mandatory. You must do what it shows.
  • Blue square = information or service. It guides or informs you.

A supplementary (small) sign under the main sign changes its meaning — for example a distance, a time window or which vehicles it applies to. Always read them together.

Tip: The complete, official sign catalogue with images is published by Statens vegvesen. Use this page to learn the groups, then practise recognising the signs in the questions.

Practise recognising signs

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