Quenya is the Tolkien language spoken by the Elves of Valinor and based partly on Finnish.
Tolkien developed Quenya as one of his most complete invented languages. Its sound and structure were influenced especially by Finnish, while its vocabulary and history were integrated into the mythology of the Elves. In Tolkien’s fictional chronology, Quenya was associated with the High Elves and the realm of Valinor.
Quenya is sometimes called “High-elven” or “Elf-Latin.” It appears in names, poems, songs, and formal speech across Tolkien’s legendarium. Examples include Eärendil, Galadriel, and the greeting “Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo.”
Readers often confuse Quenya with Sindarin, another major Elvish language. Sindarin was more widely spoken in Middle-earth during the events of The Lord of the Rings, whereas Quenya had a more elevated and traditional status among many Elves.