The inscription on J.R.R. Tolkien’s One Ring is written in the Black Speech.
The Ring-inscription begins, “Ash nazg durbatulûk,” translated as “One Ring to rule them all.” It was created by Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom and placed on the Ring as part of its connection to his power.
The Black Speech was devised by Sauron for the servants of Mordor. Tolkien presents it as a language associated with domination and command, contrasting with the Elvish languages that appear in other inscriptions and songs across Middle-earth.
The inscription is sometimes mistakenly identified as Quenya because the full verse is often quoted alongside Elvish lines from Tolkien’s lore. The Ring poem, however, uses multiple languages in its broader presentation, while the writing physically placed on the Ring is specifically in the Black Speech of Mordor.