Quenya is the fictional Elvish language associated with the Elves and based largely on Finnish. J.R.R. Tolkien developed it as part of his extensive invented-language work, giving it grammar, vocabulary, and historical relationships within his legendarium.
Tolkien’s mythology distinguishes Quenya from Sindarin, another major Elvish language. Quenya is connected especially with the High Elves and has a formal, ancient, and literary role in many texts. Sindarin became more widely spoken among the Elves of Middle-earth during the later history of the setting.
The language’s Finnish influence is an important part of its design history, but Quenya is not Finnish and is not simply a coded version of it. Tolkien also drew on other languages and linguistic traditions while creating his fictional tongues, including Welsh influences in Sindarin.