Quenya is the fictional language J.R.R. Tolkien developed with major inspiration from Finnish. In Tolkien’s linguistic world, Quenya is an ancient and prestigious Elvish language associated especially with the Ñoldor and the High Elves.
Tolkien studied Finnish and admired its sound and structure. He used that inspiration while constructing Quenya, but the language is not Finnish with changed vocabulary; it has its own grammar, history and internal development. Tolkien also connected Quenya with Latin and Greek in its cultural associations.
Quenya is distinct from Sindarin, another major Elvish language in Tolkien’s writings. Sindarin became the everyday Elvish language of many Elves in Middle-earth, while Quenya often appears in formal names, poetry and ceremonies. The language names Khuzdul and Adûnaic refer to Dwarvish and Númenórean traditions, not Elvish Quenya.