Quenya is the Elvish language associated especially with the Noldor in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium.
Tolkien developed Quenya as a highly formal language inspired partly by Finnish, alongside other influences. Within the fictional history, it was descended from the speech of the Elves of Valinor and remained a language of lore, ceremony, and elevated writing for many speakers after the Noldor returned to Middle-earth.
Quenya is often confused with Sindarin, another major Elvish language. Sindarin became the commonly spoken Elvish language among many Elves in Middle-earth, while Quenya generally carried greater prestige and a more archaic character. Both belong to Tolkien’s carefully constructed linguistic history.
The name “Quenya” is related to an Elvish root connected with speech or language. Tolkien’s interest in language was central to his creative method: he frequently built peoples, histories, and myths around the sounds and structures of invented languages rather than inventing vocabulary in isolation.