Khuzdul is the dwarf language in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium.
Tolkien created Khuzdul as the secret language of the Dwarves. In the stories, Dwarves generally keep their true names and much of their language private, so other peoples hear relatively little of it. The name “Khuzdul” itself comes from the Dwarves’ own terminology.
Khuzdul has a distinctive sound and structure that Tolkien associated with Semitic languages, while the Elvish languages were developed along different linguistic lines. Words such as Khazad-dûm and khazâd are among the best-known examples connected with Dwarvish speech.
Khuzdul should not be confused with Westron, the Common Speech used widely across Middle-earth, or with Adûnaic, the language of Númenor. Sindarin and Quenya are Elvish languages, not Dwarvish ones.