Tengwar is the fictional script J.R.R. Tolkien created for many Elvish inscriptions in Middle-earth. Its name means “letters” or “characters” in Quenya.
Tengwar was designed by the Elf Fëanor in Tolkien’s internal history. It was adapted for several languages, including Quenya and Sindarin, so its symbols represent sounds rather than belonging to only one spoken language. This flexibility helped make it suitable for writing different tongues across Middle-earth.
Tengwar is often confused with Cirth, another Tolkien script. Cirth consists of angular runes associated especially with Dwarves, while Tengwar has more flowing letter forms and is linked strongly with Elvish writing. Tolkien also devised earlier writing systems, including the Sarati of Rúmil. The decorative inscriptions seen in modern editions and adaptations may use different transliteration conventions, so a Tengwar text’s appearance does not by itself identify the spoken language.