J.R.R. Tolkien chiefly based the sound and structure of Quenya on Finnish.
Quenya is one of Tolkien’s principal Elvish languages and is associated especially with the high elves. Tolkien studied Finnish and admired the language’s grammar and sound patterns. The influence is particularly noticeable in the vocabulary and inflectional design of his early forms of Quenya.
Quenya was not intended to be Finnish with invented words. Tolkien created an independent language with its own history, changes, dialects, and relationship to other languages in Middle-earth. He also drew on Latin, Greek, and other real-world linguistic traditions.
Sindarin, another major Elvish language, was influenced more strongly by Welsh phonology. This distinction causes a common mix-up: Finnish is the best-known inspiration for Quenya, while Welsh is often cited for Sindarin. Tolkien’s professional work as a philologist shaped both the languages’ internal development and their fictional histories.