Quenya is the invented language of J.R.R. Tolkien associated with the High Elves.
Tolkien developed Quenya as part of his lifelong work in constructed languages. Its structure and sound were influenced especially by Finnish, while its fictional history places it among the languages of the Eldar who reached Aman. In Middle-earth, Quenya often functions as a formal, ancient, or ceremonial language.
Sindarin is another major Elvish language, but it serves as the everyday language of many Elves in the later history of Middle-earth. This distinction is a frequent source of confusion because both languages are Elvish and both appear in Tolkien’s legends.
Quenya names include Eärendil, Galadriel, and Númenor-related forms. Tolkien did not create a single complete language textbook; instead, vocabulary and grammar survive across stories, notes, poems, and scholarly publications. Its cultural role is therefore as important as its vocabulary.