What name did J.R.R. Tolkien give the language inspired largely by Finnish?

The story behind the answer

J.R.R. Tolkien gave the name Quenya to the language inspired largely by Finnish.

Quenya is one of Tolkien’s most developed Elvish languages. Its sound and grammatical structure were influenced especially by Finnish, while its vocabulary and historical relationships were created within Tolkien’s own fictional linguistic family. He continued revising the language throughout his life.

Within Middle-earth, Quenya is associated with the high Elves and with the ancient culture of the Ñoldor. It appears in names, poetry, formal speech, and ceremonial phrases. The language’s internal history includes regional and historical development rather than treating it as a single unchanging tongue.

Sindarin is another major Elvish language and was influenced more strongly by Welsh. Khuzdul is the language of the Dwarves, while Adûnaic is associated with the people of Númenor. These distinctions are why Quenya is the precise answer to the Finnish-influence question.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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