Tengwar is the writing system J.R.R. Tolkien created for many Elvish inscriptions.
Tengwar, also called the Fëanorian characters, is an invented script used in Tolkien’s legendarium for several languages. It is especially associated with Quenya and Sindarin, but the system can represent other languages as well. Tolkien designed it with distinct letter forms and a systematic method for representing consonants and vowels.
The script appears in several well-known illustrations and artifacts associated with Middle-earth. The One Ring inscription is written in Tengwar, although its language is the Black Speech of Mordor rather than an Elvish language. This is a common point of confusion: Tengwar names a script, not a single language.
Tolkien’s interest in writing systems extended beyond Middle-earth. He experimented with multiple scripts, including the earlier Sarati and the Cirth, a rune-like system associated especially with Dwarves. Tengwar is the best-known of these inventions.