Quenya is the fictional language associated with the High Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Tolkien based much of Quenya’s sound and structure on Finnish, while also developing it through his own ideas about language history. In the mythology, Quenya originated among the Elves and was especially associated with the Ñoldor and other High Elves. It became a language of lore, ceremony, and poetry rather than the everyday speech of every Elven community.
Quenya is distinct from Sindarin, another major Elvish language in Tolkien’s legendarium. Sindarin became more widely spoken in much of Middle-earth during the later history described in The Lord of the Rings. The two languages are related within Tolkien’s fictional linguistic history but are not interchangeable.
Tolkien created vocabulary, grammar, sound patterns, and historical development for his languages. This makes Quenya more than a collection of decorative names. It is one of the clearest examples of his method of constructing cultures through philology.