Your English teacher was wrong - there are tons of words that have a Q but no U

Language of origin: Arabic

A burqa is a long, loose garment that covers the face and body and is worn by some Muslim women.

Language of origin: Zulu

Mbaqanga is a style of music from South Africa that was popular in the 1960s. It combines elements of traditional music with jazz and big band.

Language of origin: Arabic

A niqab is a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers the hair and the face except for the eyes.

Language of origin: Hebrew

Qabbala is a body of ancient, mystical Jewish teachings. It's often spelled kabbalah, kabbala, cabala, and a few other ways.

Language of origin: Greenlandic

Qajaq is simply another way to spell kayak, a small boat similar to a canoe. Qajaq is a more authentic representation of the original word, according to a former editor of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

Language of origin: Arabic

Qat, or khat, is a flowering plant that grows in the Middle East and Africa. Qat leaves are chewed as a stimulating drug similar in effect to a strong cup of coffee, and consumption of it is illegal in some countries.

Language of origin: Mandarin

In Qi, pronounced "chee," is defined as "the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis of much Chinese philosophy and medicine."

Language of origin: Albanian

A qintar is a monetary unit of Albania. It used to be a subdivision of the Albanian lek, similar to a cents in the United States, but it is no longer circulated.

Language of origin: Inuit

Qiviut is the wool of the undercoat of the musk ox, and is commonly used to make sweaters and scarves.

Language of origin: N/A

Qwerty refers to the standard layout for computer keyboards used in English-speaking countries. It's not hard to see how the keyboard got its name — it's taken from the first six letters on the top row of the keyboard. Odds are you're probably staring at a qwerty keyboard right now.

Language of origin: Hebrew

A sheqel or shekel is the basic monetary unit of Israel. It came into English thanks to the Hebrew Bible, and originally referred to a unit of weight.

Language of origin: Arabic

A suq or souk is a bazaar, or a marketplace found throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Language of origin: English

A tranq is an informal word for tranquilizer, a drug used to reduce anxiety and tension. Also spelled trank, it's been used in English since at least 1967, according to Merriam-Webster.

Language of origin: Inuit

An umiaq or umiak is an open boat made of a wooden frame and covered with hide. It's used mainly by indigenous people in the Arctic, including Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia.