J.R.R. Tolkien created the Tengwar script for writing several languages, including Quenya and Sindarin.
Tengwar is a featural writing system: the shapes of its letters reflect features of the sounds they represent. Tolkien designed it as part of the internal history of Middle-earth, attributing its invention to the Elf Fëanor. The script is also called the Fëanorian characters.
Tengwar appears in inscriptions and manuscripts across Tolkien’s legendarium. The best-known example is the inscription on the One Ring, which uses Tengwar letterforms to write the Black Speech of Mordor. This distinction matters: Tengwar is a script, while Black Speech is a language.
Tolkien also devised other writing systems. Cirth is a separate runic script associated especially with Dwarves, while Sarati is an earlier system connected with Rúmil. Modern fans use Tengwar for transcribing real-world languages, but Tolkien’s original system had different modes for different languages.