Quenya is the fictional language created by J.R.R. Tolkien primarily from the sound and structure of Finnish.
Tolkien was a philologist with a deep interest in the history and construction of languages. Quenya, associated especially with the High Elves, was influenced by Finnish, Latin, and Greek. Tolkien developed its grammar, vocabulary, and history as part of the larger linguistic world behind his mythology.
Quenya is not simply a translation code for English. Within Tolkien’s legendarium, it has its own historical development and relationships to other Elvish languages. It is often presented as a formal or ceremonial language in the later ages of Middle-earth.
Sindarin is the other major Elvish language in Tolkien’s fiction and was influenced in part by Welsh. Khuzdul is the language of the Dwarves, while Adûnaic is associated with the people of Númenor. These distinctions make language labels important when discussing Tolkien’s works.