Tengwar is the writing system J.R.R. Tolkien created for many Elvish inscriptions.
Tengwar is a constructed script used in Tolkien’s fictional world for languages including Quenya and Sindarin. Its name comes from Quenya and means “letters” or “signs.” The script is associated especially with the Elves, although Tolkien’s stories also describe other peoples using it for different languages.
Tengwar is not itself a spoken language. That distinction is important: Quenya and Sindarin are languages, while Tengwar is a system for writing them. The script can represent sounds in different ways, and Tolkien described several modes adapted to particular languages.
The famous inscription on the One Ring is written in Tengwar, using the Black Speech of Mordor rather than an Elvish language. Tolkien’s calligraphic designs helped give his fictional cultures a visible history and identity. Another major script in Middle-earth is Cirth, whose angular letters were used especially by Dwarves and for inscriptions.