Quenya is the Elvish language created by J.R.R. Tolkien that is based partly on Finnish.
Tolkien developed Quenya as a language of the Elves, especially the High Elves associated with Valinor. Its sound and structure were influenced by Finnish, while its history within the fictional world connects it with earlier and related Elvish tongues. Quenya is often described as a formal, literary, or ceremonial language in Middle-earth.
Quenya is not the same as Sindarin. Sindarin became the common Elvish language of many Elves in Middle-earth, while Quenya retained a more elevated status. Tolkien created both languages with historical relationships, sound changes, and grammar rather than treating them as collections of decorative words.
The language’s name is sometimes written with a macron in scholarly contexts, but “Quenya” is the standard English spelling. Tolkien’s linguistic invention was central to his world-building: the histories of peoples and places are often reflected in the development and use of their languages.