Quenya Dictionary: 200+ Essential Words
Quenya — the High-Elvish tongue of Tolkien's mythology — has approximately 2,000–3,000 documented words across his published writings. This dictionary covers the most useful, most searched, and most commonly used vocabulary across everyday concepts.
All words here are attested (appearing in Tolkien's texts) unless marked (reconstructed), meaning linguists have derived them from known roots.
How to Use This Dictionary
- Bold = the Quenya word
- Pronunciation note: stress falls on the second-to-last syllable if it is long, otherwise the third-to-last
- v. = verb | n. = noun | adj. = adjective | adv. = adverb
Greetings & Farewells
| Quenya | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|
| Aiya | AY-ya | Hello / Hail |
| Namárië | na-MAH-ree-eh | Farewell / Goodbye (lit. "be well") |
| Mára mesta | MAH-ra MES-ta | Goodbye (lit. "good parting") |
| Auta miqula | OW-ta MI-kwu-la | (reconstructed) Farewell with a kiss |
| Á tulë | AH TOO-leh | Welcome (lit. "come!") |
| Mara | MAH-ra | Good / Well |
People & Relationships
| Quenya | Meaning | Notes |
|---|
| atan (pl. atani) | human, mortal | Used by Elves to refer to Men |
| elda (pl. eldar) | Elf | High-Elf specifically |
| nér | man, male person | |
| nissë | woman, female person | |
| yondo | son | |
| sell | daughter | (reconstructed) |
| atar | father | Formal/poetic |
| amil / ammë | mother | |
| haru | grandfather | |
| amil-amilë | grandmother | |
| meldo | (male) friend, beloved | |
| melde | (female) friend, beloved | |
| mellon | friend | (Also used in Sindarin) |
| hína | child | |
| onna | child, offspring | |
Emotions & Inner Life
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| melmë | love (noun) |
| mel- | to love (verb) |
| melda | beloved, dear |
| nírë | tear (as in weeping) |
| nwalca | cruel, painful |
| alassë | joy, happiness |
| miruvórë | joy-drink; mead of the Valar |
| estel | hope, trust, faith |
| amdir | hope based on reason (reconstructed) |
| úmë | dread, horror |
| náië | alas (exclamation of grief) |
| sí | now (often used in poetic lament) |
Nature
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| arda | realm, region; also "the World" |
| elen (pl. eleni) | star |
| anar | sun |
| isil | moon |
| airë | sea, ocean |
| nén | water |
| nen | lake, pool |
| oron (pl. oronti) | mountain |
| ondo | stone, rock |
| alda | tree |
| lassi | leaves |
| yávë | fruit |
| sírë | river |
| círya | ship |
| ráma | wing |
| súrë | wind |
| aiwë | small bird |
| huan | hound, dog |
| rohto | horse (reconstructed) |
| urco | orc (early form) |
Light & Darkness
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| cala | light |
| calima | bright |
| silmë | starlight, silver light |
| vása | radiance, warmth |
| wilwarin | butterfly; light as a butterfly |
| mórë | darkness, night |
| fuinë | deep shadow |
| lómë | dusk, dimness |
| tinwë | spark, glint |
| giliath | host of stars (Sindarin borrowing) |
Time
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| lúmë | time, hour |
| yén | Elvish long-year (144 years) |
| coranar | solar year (lit. "sun-round") |
| ráno | month |
| sí | now |
| yá | ago, before |
| tennoio | forever, for ever and ever |
| iluvë | the whole, all |
| ana | to, towards |
Verbs — Common Actions
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| mel- | to love |
| cen- | to see |
| mat- | to eat |
| sov- | to wash |
| car- | to make, do |
| tul- | to come |
| led- | to go |
| quet- | to speak, say |
| nir- | to press, urge |
| hlar- | to hear |
| sir- | to flow |
| pal- | to walk abroad, wander |
| vanya- | to depart (reconstructed) |
| anta- | to give |
| sav- | to believe, trust |
Adjectives
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| alda | tall (archaic) |
| alta | great, large |
| arya | noble |
| cáno | commander; commanding |
| calima | bright, luminous |
| carnë | red |
| celúmë | rushing, flowing |
| fana | fair, beautiful (of form) |
| lauca | warm |
| laurëa | golden (of colour) |
| lissë | sweet |
| luinë | blue |
| mára | good, useful |
| moica | gentle, soft |
| morë / morna | dark, black |
| nandë | joyful |
| nórëa | of the land |
| rúnya | red flame (reconstructed) |
| rúsëa | fiery |
| sindë | grey |
| taurina | of the forest |
| telpëa | of silver |
| vanima | beautiful, fair |
| vanya | fair, beautiful (of person) |
| vórëa | steadfast, ever-faithful |
| yára | ancient, old |
Numbers
| Quenya | Number |
|---|
| min | 1 |
| atta | 2 |
| neldë | 3 |
| canta | 4 |
| lempë | 5 |
| enquë | 6 |
| otso | 7 |
| tolto | 8 |
| nertë | 9 |
| quain | 10 |
| minquë | 11 |
| yunquë | 12 |
Common Phrases
| Quenya | English |
|---|
| Melin tye | I love you |
| Nai aranielya ter lómë nuquerna | May your light not be quenched in shadow |
| A Elbereth Gilthoniel | O Elbereth Star-kindler (invocation) |
| Namárië | Farewell |
| Auta miqula órenyaron | Let the kiss depart from my heart (archaic) |
| Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo | A star shines on the hour of our meeting |
| Nai tiruvantes i hárar mahalmassen mi Númen | May those who sit on thrones in the West watch over you |
| Á laita te, laita te | Praise them, praise them |
| Cormacolindor | Ring-bearers |
Titles & Names
| Quenya | Meaning |
|---|
| Aran | King |
| Arni / Aranel | Queen |
| Roquen | Knight, horseman |
| Ohtar | Warrior |
| Quendë | Elf (lit. "one who speaks") |
| Calaquendi | High-Elves of the Light |
| Moriquendi | Dark-Elves (who did not see the Light) |
| Ainur | Holy Ones (the Valar and Maiar) |
| Valar | The Powers (gods) |
| Maiar | The Order of the Valar (lesser spirits) |
Learning More
This dictionary covers the most commonly used Quenya words, but Tolkien's language goes much deeper. Quenya has a full grammatical system including:
- 10 noun cases (nominative, genitive, possessive, dative, allative, ablative, locative, instrumental, and more)
- Verb tenses and moods
- Adjective agreement with nouns
To go from vocabulary to sentences, you need to understand how these rules work together. Tengwar's free lessons walk you through Quenya grammar step by step, with pronunciation audio, flashcards, and an AI tutor to answer questions as you go.
Practice these words with spaced repetition flashcards at learningelvish.com — free to start.
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