View source for Tengwar

{{short description|Fictional script in Tolkien's writings}}
{{use British English|date=September 2025}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox writing system
| name      = Tengwar
| sample    = Tengwar.svg
| caption   = The word "Tengwar" written using the Tengwar script in the Quenya mode
| imagesize = 180px
| type      = Alternative
| typedesc  = [[abugida]] or [[alphabet]] according to the "[[Tengwar#Modes|mode]]"
| time      = 1930s–present
| fam1      = [[Sarati]]
| creator   = [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]
| languages = a number of [[Tolkien's constructed languages]], [[Quenya]] and [[Sindarin]], [[English language|English]]
| iso15924  = Teng
}}

{{special characters}}

The '''Tengwar''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛ|ŋ|ɡ|w|ɑː|r}}) script is an [[artificial script]], one of [[Tolkien's scripts|several scripts created]] by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], the author of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Within the context of Tolkien's fictional world, the Tengwar were invented by the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elf]] [[Fëanor]], and used first to write the Elvish languages [[Quenya]] and [[Telerin]]. Later a great number of [[Tolkien's constructed languages]] were written using the Tengwar, including [[Sindarin]]. Tolkien used Tengwar to write [[English language|English]]: most of Tolkien's Tengwar samples are actually in English.

== External history ==

=== Precursors ===

The [[sarati]], a script developed by Tolkien in the late 1910s and described in ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]] 13'', anticipates many features of the Tengwar: vowel representation by [[diacritic]]s (which is found in many Tengwar varieties); different Tengwar shapes; and a few correspondences between sound features and letter shape features (though inconsistent).<ref name="PE 13">{{cite journal |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |title=The Alphabet of Rúmil |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=13 |url=http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma13.html |access-date=3 September 2025}}</ref>

Even closer to the Tengwar is the Valmaric script, described in ''Parma Eldalamberon 14'', which Tolkien used from about 1922 to 1925. It features many Tengwar shapes, the inherent vowel {{IPA|[a]}} found in some Tengwar varieties, and the tables in the samples V12 and V13 show an arrangement that is very similar to one of the primary Tengwar in the classical Quenya "mode".<ref name="PE 14">{{cite journal |last1=Tolkien |first1=J. R. R. |title=Early Qenya and the Valmaric Script |journal=Parma Eldalamberon |issue=14 |url=http://www.eldalamberon.com/parma14.html |access-date=3 September 2025}}</ref>

In his ''An Introduction to Elvish'', Jim Allan compared the Tengwar with the London merchant [[Francis Lodwick]]'s 1686 ''Universal Alphabet'', both on grounds of the correspondence between shape features and sound features, and of the actual letter shapes.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Allan |editor-first=Jim |title=An Introduction to Elvish |publisher=Bran's Head Books |isbn=0-905220-10-2}}</ref>

=== Tengwar ===

[[File:One Ring inscription.svg|thumb|300px|The two-line inscription on the [[One Ring]], written in the [[Black Speech]] of [[Mordor]] using Tengwar: "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul / ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul".]]

[[File:One Ring inscription Atul.svg|thumb|Tengwar "atul" element recurring in the ring inscription]]

The Tengwar script was probably developed in the late 1920s or in the early 1930s. ''The Lonely Mountain Jar Inscription'', the first published Tengwar sample, dates to 1937.<ref>''[[The Hobbit]]'', most editions with colour plates.</ref> The full explanation of the Tengwar was published in Appendix E of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' in 1955.<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Appendix E, "Writing: The Fëanorian Letters "</ref>

The ''Mellonath Daeron Index of Tengwar Specimina'' (DTS) lists most of the known samples of Tengwar by Tolkien.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html |title=The Mellonath Daeron Index of Tengwa Specimina |website=Forodrim.org |access-date=3 September 2025}}</ref> There are only a few known samples predating publication of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (many of them published posthumously):

* ''The Lonely Mountain Jar Inscription'', published 1937<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS1 DTS 1]</ref>
* ''Middle Page from the [[Book of Mazarbul]]''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS13 DTS 13]</ref>
* ''Last Page from the Book of Mazarbul, Last Line'', this and the above one originally prepared for inclusion in ''The Lord of the Rings''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS14 DTS 14]</ref>
* ''Steinborg Drawing Title''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS15 DTS 15]</ref>
* ''Ilbereth's Greeting'' from [[The Father Christmas Letters]], dating to 1937<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS22 DTS 22]</ref>
* ''The Treebeard Page''<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS24 DTS 24]</ref>
* ''Edwin Lowdham's Manuscript'' from [[The Notion Club Papers]] has [[Old English language]] text written in Tengwar (with a few [[Adûnaic]] and Quenya words), dating to 1945/6.<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS50 DTS 50]/[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS51 51]</ref>
* The Brogan Tengwa-greetings, appearing in ''[[The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien]]'', No. 118, tentatively dated to 1948<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS10 DTS 10]</ref>

The following samples presumably predate ''The Lord of the Rings'', but were not explicitly dated: 

* ''Elvish Script Sample I, II, III'', with parts of the English poems ''Errantry'' and ''Bombadil'', first published in the ''Silmarillion Calendar 1978'', later in ''Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien'',<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS16 DTS 16], [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS17 DTS 17], [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS18 DTS 18]</ref> 
* ''So Lúthien'', a page of the English ''Lay of Leithian'' text<ref>[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html#DTS23 DTS 23]</ref><ref>Facsimiled in ''[[The Lays of Beleriand]]'':299.</ref>

== Internal history and terminology ==

Within the context of [[Middle-earth|Tolkien's fictional world]], the Tengwar were invented by the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elf]] [[Fëanor]] in [[Valinor]], and used first to write the Elven tongues [[Quenya]] and [[Telerin]]. According to [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', at the time Fëanor created his script, he introduced a change in terminology. He called a letter, a written representation of a spoken [[phoneme]] ({{lang|qya|tengwë}}), a  {{lang|qya|tengwa}}. Previously, any letter or symbol had been called a {{lang|qya|sarat}} (from {{lang|qya|*sar|proto=yes}} 'incise'). The alphabet of Rúmil of Tirion, on which Fëanor supposedly based his own work, was known as [[Sarati]]. It later became known as "Tengwar of Rúmil".<ref>''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', Appendix D to ''Quendi and Eldar''</ref>

The plural of {{lang|qya|tengwa}} is {{lang|qya|tengwar}}, and this is the name by which Fëanor's writing system became known. Since, however, in commonly used modes, an individual {{lang|qya|tengwa}} was equivalent to a consonant, the term {{lang|qya|tengwa}} in the fiction became equivalent to "consonant sign", and the vowel signs were known as {{lang|qya|ómatehtar}}. By loan-translation, the Tengwar became known as {{lang|sjn|tîw}} (singular {{lang|sjn|têw}}) in Sindarin, when they were introduced to [[Beleriand]]. The letters of the earlier alphabet native to Sindarin were called {{lang|sjn|[[cirth]]}} (singular {{lang|sjn|certh}}, probably from {{lang|sjn|*kirte|proto=yes}} 'cutting', and thus semantically analogous to [[Quenya]] {{lang|qya|sarat}}). This term was loaned into exilic Quenya as {{lang|qya|certa}}, plural {{lang|qya|certar}}.

== Description ==

[[File:Tengwar alphabet with row and column headings.svg|thumb|upright=2|Tengwar alphabet with the name of each {{lang|qya|tengwa}}, arranged phonetically according to the ''Quenya'' mode]]

=== Letters ===

The most notable characteristic of the Tengwar script is that the shapes of the letters correspond to the [[distinctive feature]]s of the sounds they represent. The Quenya consonant system has five [[place of articulation|places of articulation]]: [[Labial consonant|labial]], [[Dental consonant|dental]], [[Palatal consonant|palatal]], [[Velar consonant|velar]], and [[glottal consonant|glottal]]. The velars distinguish between plain and labialized (that is, articulated with rounded lips, or followed by a {{IPA|[w]}} sound). Each point of articulation, and the corresponding tengwa series, has a name in the classical Quenya mode. Dental sounds are called {{lang|qya|tincotéma}} and are represented with the Tengwar in column&nbsp;I. Labial sounds are called {{lang|qya|parmatéma}}, and represented by the column II Tengwar; velar sounds are called {{lang|qya|calmatéma}}, represented by column III; and labialized velar sounds are called {{lang|qya|quessetéma}}, represented by the ''Tengwar'' of column IV. Palatal sounds are called {{lang|qya|tyelpetéma}} and have no tengwa series of their own, but are represented by column III letters with an added diacritic for following {{IPA|[j]}}.

Similarly shaped letters reflect not only similar places of articulation, but also similar manners of articulation. In the classical Quenya mode, row 1 represents voiceless stops, row 2 voiced prenasalized stops, row 3 voiceless fricatives, row 4 voiceless prenasalized stops, row 5 nasal stops, and row 6 approximants.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tyler |first=J. E. A. |author-link=J. E. A. Tyler |title=The Complete Tolkien Companion |publisher=Pan Books |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-0350-0857-5 |pages= }}</ref>

==== Regularly formed ====

Most letters are constructed by a combination of two basic shapes: a vertical '''stem''' (either long or short) and either one or two rounded '''bows''' (which may or may not be underscored, and may be on the left or right of the stem).

These principal letters are divided into four series ({{lang|qya|témar}}) that correspond to the main places of articulation and into six grades ({{lang|qya|tyeller}}) that correspond to the main [[manner of articulation|manners of articulation]]. Both vary among modes.

Each series is headed by the basic signs composed of a vertical stem descending below the line, and a single bow. These basic signs represent the [[phonation|voice]]less [[stop consonant]]s for that series. For the classical Quenya mode, they are {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/kʷ/}}, and the series are named {{lang|qya|tincotéma}}, {{lang|qya|parmatéma}}, {{lang|qya|calmatéma}}, and {{lang|qya|quessetéma}}, respectively; {{lang|qya|téma}} means "series" in Quenya.

In rows of the ''general use'', there are the following correspondences between letter shapes and manners of articulation:

* Doubling the bow turns the [[phonation|voiceless consonant]] into a voiced one.
* Raising the stem above the line turns it into the corresponding [[fricative consonant|fricative]].
* Shortening it (so it is only the height of the bow) creates the corresponding [[nasal consonant|nasal]]. In most modes, the signs with shortened stem and single bow do not correspond to the [[phonation|voiceless]] nasals, but to the [[approximant]]s.

In addition to these variations of the Tengwar shapes, there is yet another variation, the use of stems that are extended both above and below the line. This shape may correspond to other consonant variations required. Except for some English abbreviations, it is not used in any of the better known Tengwar modes, but it occurs in a [[Quenya]] <!--sic--> mode where the tengwa Parma with extended stem is used for {{IPA|/pt/}} and the tengwa Calma with extended stem is used for {{IPA|/kt/}}.<ref>See ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19 (2010), pp. 41–43.</ref> The Tengwar with raised stems sometimes occur in [[glyph]] variants that look like extended stems, as seen in the inscription of the [[One Ring]].

An example from the {{lang|qya|parmatéma}} (the signs with a closed bow on the right side) in the "general use" of the Tengwar is:

[[File:Parmatéma.png|right|60px]]

* The basic sign, named {{lang|qya|parma}}, (with descending stem) represents {{IPA|/p/}} (it happens to look much like the Latin letter ''P'').
* With the bow doubled, {{lang|qya|umbar}}, it represents {{IPA|/b/}}.
* With a raised stem, {{lang|qya|formen}}, it represents {{IPA|/f/}}.
* With a raised stem and a doubled bow, {{lang|qya|ampa}}, it represents generally {{IPA|/v/}} but possibly {{IPA|/mp/}} (depending upon the language).
* With a short stem and double bow, {{lang|qya|malta}}, it represents {{IPA|/m/}}.
* With short stem and single bow, {{lang|qya|vala}}, it represents {{IPA|/w/}}, or {{IPA|/v/}} if that has the phonological behaviour of a sonorant (e.g. in Quenya).

In languages such as Quenya, which do not contain any voiced fricatives other than "v", the raised stem + doubled bow row is used for the common nasal+stop sequences (''nt'', ''mp'', ''nk'', ''nqu''). In such cases, the "w" sign in the previous paragraph is used for "v". In the mode of Beleriand, found on the door to [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria]], the bottom {{lang|qya|tyellë}} is used for nasals (e.g., {{lang|qya|vala}} is used for {{IPA|/m/}}) and the fifth {{lang|qya|tyellë}} for doubled nasals ({{lang|qya|malta}} for {{IPA|/mm/}}).

==== Irregularly formed ====

There are additional letters that do not have regular shapes. They may represent, e.g., {{IPA|/r/}}, {{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/h/}}. Their use varies considerably from mode to mode. Some aficionados have added more letters not found in Tolkien's writings for use in their modes.

=== {{lang|qya|Tehtar}} diacritics ===

[[File:Tehtar.png|thumb|{{lang|qya|Tehtar}} [[diacritic]]s for vowels, consonant doubling, and nasal sounds]]

A {{lang|qya|tehta}} (Quenya 'marking') is a [[diacritic]] placed above or below the tengwa. They can represent vowels, consonant doubling, or nasal sound.

As Tolkien explained in Appendix E of ''The Lord of the Rings'', the {{lang|qya|tehtar}} for vowels resemble Latin diacritics: circumflex (î) {{IPA|/a/}}, acute (í) {{IPA|/e/}}, dot (i) {{IPA|/i/}}, left curl (ı̔) {{IPA|/o/}}, and right curl (ı̓) {{IPA|/u/}}. Long vowels, excepting {{IPA|/a/}}, may be indicated by doubling the signs. Some languages from which {{IPA|/o/}} is absent or in which compared to {{IPA|/u/}} it appears sparsely, such as the [[Black Speech]], use left curl for {{IPA|/u/}}; other languages swap the signs for {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/i/}}.

A vowel occurring alone is drawn on the vowel carrier, which resembles [[dotless i]] (ı) for a short vowel or dotless j (ȷ) for a long vowel.

== Modes ==

[[File:Tengwar modi2 EN.svg|thumb|upright=2|Three modes of Tengwar<br/>''Yellow: Classical mode''<br/>''Pink: Mode of Beleriand''<br/>''Grey: General mode'']]

Just as with any [[alphabet]]ic writing system, every specific language written in Tengwar requires a specific [[orthography]], depending on the [[phonology]] of that language. These Tengwar orthographies are usually called ''modes''. Some modes follow pronunciation, while others follow traditional orthography.

Some modes map the basic consonants to {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/kʷ/}} (classical mode in chart at right), while others use them to represent {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/tʃ/}} and {{IPA|/k/}} (general mode at right). The other main difference is in the fourth {{lang|qya|tyellë}} below, where those letters with raised stems and doubled bows can be either voiced fricatives, as in Sindarin (general mode at right), or nasalized stops, as in Quenya (classical mode).

=== Ómatehtar ===

In some modes, called {{lang|qya|ómatehtar}} (or ''vowel tehtar'') modes, the vowels are represented with [[diacritic]]s called {{lang|qya|tehtar}} (Quenya for 'signs'; corresponding [[Grammatical number|singular]]: {{lang|qya|tehta}}, 'sign'). These {{lang|qya|ómatehtar}} modes can be considered [[abugida]]s rather than true [[alphabet]]s.<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Martínez |first1=Helios De Rosario |chapter=A Methodological Study of the Elvish Writing Systems |title=Proceedings of the Third International Conference on JRR Tolkien's Invented Languages, Omentielva Nelya, Whitehaven, 6-9 August 2009 |series=Arda Philology |year=2011 |volume=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cq2QRcYySHIC&pg=PA1 |publisher=The Arda Society |pages=1–25 |isbn=978-91-973500-3-7}}</ref> In some ómatehtar modes, the consonant signs feature an inherent vowel.

{{lang|qya|Ómatehtar}} modes can vary in that the vowel stroke can be placed either on top of the consonant preceding it, as in [[Quenya]], or on the consonant following, as in [[Sindarin]], English, and the notorious Black Speech inscription on the One Ring.

=== Full writing ===

In the ''full writing'' modes, the consonants and the vowels are represented by Tengwar. Only one such mode is well known. It is called the "mode of [[Beleriand]]" and one can read it on the [[Moria (Middle-earth)#West-door|Doors of Durin]].

=== Modes for other languages ===

Since the publication of the first official description of the Tengwar at the end of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', others have created modes for other languages such as [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[German language|German]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[French language|French]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] and [[Welsh (language)|Welsh]]. Modes have also been devised for other [[constructed language]]s; [[Esperanto]] and [[Lojban]].

Tolkien had used multiple modes for English, including full writing and ómatehtar alphabetic modes, phonetic full modes and phonetic ómatehtar modes known from documents published after his death.<references group=. />

== Encoding schemes ==

=== Legacy encoding ===

[[File:Tengwar sample.svg|thumb|First article of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] in [[English language|English]], written with a spelling-based pointed mode of ''Tengwar''. The first three lines: "All human beings are / born free and equal / in dignity and rights. /..."]]

The contemporary [[de facto]] standard in the Tengwar user community maps the Tengwar characters onto the [[ISO 8859-1]] character encoding following the example of the Tengwar typefaces by Dan Smith. This implies a major flaw: If no corresponding Tengwar font is installed, a [[mojibake|string of nonsense characters]] appears.

Since there are not enough places in ISO 8859-1's 191 codepoints for all the signs used in Tengwar orthography, certain signs are included in a "Tengwar A" font which also maps its characters on ISO 8859-1, overlapping with the first font.

For each Tengwar diacritic, there are four different codepoints that are used depending on the width of the character which bears it.

Other Tengwar typefaces with this encoding include [http://www.dafont.com/Tengwar-annatar.font Johan Winge's Tengwar Annatar], [https://web.archive.org/web/20080515024319/http://at.mansbjorkman.net/parmaite.htm Måns Björkman's Tengwar Parmaitë], [https://web.archive.org/web/20091027083304/http://geocities.com/enrombell/eng_dir/Index.htm  Enrique Mombello's Tengwar Élfica] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20061023195729/http://Tengwarformal.limes.com.pl/ Michal Nowakowski's Tengwar Formal] (note that these differ in some details).

The following sample shows the first article of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] written in English, according to the traditional [[English orthography]]. It should look similar to the picture; if no Tengwar font is installed, it will appear as a jumble of characters because the corresponding ISO 8859-1 characters will appear instead.

<blockquote style="font-family: 'Tengwar Annatar', 'Tengwar Eldamar', 'Tengwar Noldor', 'Tengwar Parmaite', 'Tengwar Formal', 'Tengwar Elfica', 'Tengwar Sindarin', 'Tengwar Quenya', 'Tengwar Gothika'; font-size: 150%; line-height: 150%">
j#¸ 9t&5# w`Vb%_ 6EO w6Y5 e7`V`V 2{( zèVj# 5% 2x%51T`Û 2{( 7v%1+- 4hR 7EO 2{$yYO2 y4% 7]F85^ 2{( z5^8I`B5$I( 2{( dyYj2 zE1 1yY6E2_ 5^( 5#4^(7 5% `C 8q7T1T W w74^(692^H -- </blockquote>

Note: Some browsers may not display these characters properly.

=== Unicode ===

[[Michael Everson]] made a proposal to include the Tengwar in the [[Unicode]] standard in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Proposal to encode Tengwar in Plane 1 of ISO/IEC 10646-2 |url=http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/n1641/n1641.htm |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=std.dkuug.dk}}</ref> The range {{U+|16080}} to U+160FF in the [[Supplementary Multilingual Plane|SMP]] was tentatively allocated for Tengwar in the 2023 Unicode roadmap.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roadmap to the SMP |url=https://www.unicode.org/roadmaps/smp/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=www.unicode.org}}</ref>

=== ConScript Unicode Registry ===

{{Infobox Unicode block
|rangestart = E000
|rangeend   = E07F
|assigned   = 93
|script1    = Artificial Scripts
|alphabets  = Tengwar
|sources    = [[ConScript Unicode Registry|CSUR]]
|codechart  = omit
|note       = Part of the Private-Use Area, font conflicts possible<ref>{{cite web |last=Everson |first=Michael |url=http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/Tengwar.html | title=Tengwar: U+E000 - U+E07F | work=ConScript Unicode Registry | accessdate=2017-03-13}}</ref>
}}

Tengwar are included in the unofficial [[ConScript Unicode Registry]] (CSUR), which assigns codepoints in the [[Private Use Area]]. Tengwar are mapped to the range U+E000–U+E07F.<ref name=csur>{{cite web |url=http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/ |title=ConScript Unicode Registry |publisher=Evertype.com |access-date=2015-06-20 |archive-date=2015-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622125251/http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 

The following Unicode sample (which repeats the one above) is meaningful when viewed under a typeface supporting Tengwar glyphs in the area defined in the ConScript Tengwar proposal:

<blockquote style="font-family: 'Tengwar Formal CSUR', 'Kurinto Text Aux', 'Kurinto Book Aux', 'Kurinto Sans Aux', 'Constructium', 'Tengwar Formal Unicode', 'Tengwar Telcontar', 'FreeMonoTengwar', 'Everson Mono', 'Tengwar Eldamar'; font-size: 150%;">{{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} ⸬ {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} {{PUA|}} ⸬</blockquote>

Some [[typeface]]s that support this proposal are [[Everson Mono]], Tengwar Telcontar,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Winge |first1=Johan |title=Free Tengwar Font Project: Tengwar Telcontar |url=https://freeTengwar.sourceforge.net/tengtelc.html |website=J. R. R. Tolkien’s Tengwar script |access-date=25 June 2024 |date=15 December 2009}}</ref> Constructium, Tengwar Formal Unicode,<ref>{{cite web |last1=wust |first1=j ‘mach’ |title=Free Tengwar Font Project: Tengwar Formal CSUR |url=https://freeTengwar.sourceforge.net/formal.html |website=J. R. R. Tolkien’s Tengwar script |access-date=25 June 2024 |date=11 June 2010}}</ref> and FreeMonoTengwar<ref>{{cite web |last1=wust |first1=j ‘mach’ |title=Free Tengwar Font Project: FreeMonoTengwar |url=https://freeTengwar.sourceforge.net/freemonoTengwar.html |website=J. R. R. Tolkien’s Tengwar script |access-date=25 June 2024 |date=22 September 2009}}</ref> (James Kass's [[Code2000]] and [[Code2001]] use an older, incompatible version of the proposal). The eight “Aux” variant fonts of Kurinto (such as Kurinto Text Aux, Book Aux, Sans Aux) also support Tengwar.<ref>[https://Kurinto.com/ Kurinto]</ref>

{{CSUR chart Tengwar}}

{{CSUR chart Tengwar 2001}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Tengwar letters CSUR encoding
! Name	!! Image	!! CSUR	|| Designation annotation
|-
| tinco	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa tinco.svg|24px|tinco]]	|| U+E000	|| Tengwar LETTER TINCO
|-
| parma	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa parma.svg|24px|parma]]	|| U+E001	|| Tengwar LETTER PARMA
|-
| calma	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa calma.svg|24px|calma]]	|| U+E002	|| Tengwar LETTER CALMA
|-
| quessë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa quesse.svg|24px|quessë]]	|| U+E003	|| Tengwar LETTER QUESSE
|-
| ando	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa ando.svg|24px|ando]]	|| U+E004	|| Tengwar LETTER ANDO
|-
| umbar	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa umbar.svg|24px|umbar]]	|| U+E005	|| Tengwar LETTER UMBAR
|-
| anga	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa anga.svg|24px|anga]]	|| U+E006	|| Tengwar LETTER ANGA
|-
| ungwë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa ungwe.svg|24px|ungwë]]	|| U+E007	|| Tengwar LETTER UNGWE
|-
| súlë / thúlë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa súle.svg|24px|súlë / thúlë]]	|| U+E008	|| Tengwar LETTER THUULE (suule)
|-
| formen	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa formen.svg|24px|formen]]	|| U+E009	|| Tengwar LETTER FORMEN
|-
| harma / aha	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa aha.svg|24px|harma / aha]]	|| U+E00A	|| Tengwar LETTER HARMA (aha)
|-
| hwesta	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa hwesta.svg|24px|hwesta]]	|| U+E00B	|| Tengwar LETTER HWESTA
|-
| anto	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa anto.svg|24px|anto]]	|| U+E00C	|| Tengwar LETTER ANTO
|-
| ampa	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa ampa.svg|24px|ampa]]	|| U+E00D	|| Tengwar LETTER AMPA
|-
| anca	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa anca.svg|24px|anca]]	|| U+E00E	|| Tengwar LETTER ANCA
|-
| unquë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa unque.svg|24px|unquë]]	|| U+E00F	|| Tengwar LETTER UNQUE
|-
| númen	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa númen.svg|24px|númen]]	|| U+E010	|| Tengwar LETTER NUUMEN
|-
| {{not a typo|malta}}	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa malta.svg|24px|{{not a typo|malta}}]]	|| U+E011	|| Tengwar LETTER MALTA
|-
| noldo / ñoldo	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa noldo.svg|24px|noldo / ñoldo]]	|| U+E012	|| Tengwar LETTER NOLDO (ngoldo)
|-
| nwalmë / ñwalmë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa nwalme.svg|24px|nwalmë / ñwalmë]]	|| U+E013	|| Tengwar LETTER NWALME (ngwalme)
|-
| órë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa óre.svg|24px|órë]]	|| U+E014	|| Tengwar LETTER OORE
|-
| vala	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa vala.svg|24px|vala]]	|| U+E015	|| Tengwar LETTER VALA
|-
| anna	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa anna.svg|24px|anna]]	|| U+E016	|| Tengwar LETTER ANNA
|-
| vilya / wilya	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa wilya.svg|24px|vilya / wilya]]	|| U+E017	|| Tengwar LETTER VILYA (wilya)
|-
| rómen	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa rómen.svg|24px|rómen]]	|| U+E018	|| Tengwar LETTER ROOMEN
|-
| arda	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa arda.svg|24px|arda]]	|| U+E019	|| Tengwar LETTER ARDA
|-
| lambë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa lambe.svg|24px|lambë]]	|| U+E01A	|| Tengwar LETTER LAMBE
|-
| alda	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa alda.svg|24px|alda]]	|| U+E01B	|| Tengwar LETTER ALDA
|-
| silmë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa silme.svg|24px|silmë]]	|| U+E01C	|| Tengwar LETTER SILME
|-
| silmë nuquerna	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa silme nuquerna.svg|24px|silmë nuquerna]]	|| U+E01D	|| Tengwar LETTER SILME NUQUERNA
|-
| essë / áre/áze	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa esse.svg|24px|essë / áre/áze]]	|| U+E01E	|| Tengwar LETTER AARE (aaze, esse)
|-
| essë nuquerna / áre/áze nuquerna	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa esse nuquerna.svg|24px|essë nuquerna / áre/áze nuquerna]]	|| U+E01F	|| Tengwar LETTER AARE NUQUERNA (aaze n., esse n.)
|-
| hyarmen	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa hyarmen.svg|24px|hyarmen]]	|| U+E020	|| Tengwar LETTER HYARMEN
|-
| hwesta sindarinwa	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa hwesta sindarinwa.svg|24px|hwesta sindarinwa]]	|| U+E021	|| Tengwar LETTER HWESTA SINDARINWA
|-
| yanta	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa yanta.svg|24px|yanta]]	|| U+E022	|| Tengwar LETTER YANTA
|-
| úrë	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa úre.svg|24px|úrë]]	|| U+E023	|| Tengwar LETTER UURE
|-
| halla	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa halla.svg|24px|halla]]	|| U+E024	|| Tengwar LETTER HALLA
|-
| telco	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa telco.svg|24px|telco]]	|| U+E025	|| Tengwar LETTER SHORT CARRIER
|-
| ára	|| style="color: black !important; background-color: white !important;" | [[File:Tengwa ára.svg|24px|ára]]	|| U+E026	|| Tengwar LETTER LONG CARRIER
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Tengwar ligatures and extended letters CSUR encoding
! Name	!! Image	!! CSUR	|| Designation annotation
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E027	|| Tengwar LETTER ANNA SINDARINWA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E028	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED THUULE
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E029	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED FORMEN
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E02A	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED HARMA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E02B	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED HWESTA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E02C	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED ANTO
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E02D	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED AMPA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E02E	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED ANCA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E02F	|| Tengwar LETTER EXTENDED UNQUE
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E030	|| Tengwar LETTER STEMLESS OORE (digit zero)
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E031	|| Tengwar LETTER STEMLESS VALA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E032	|| Tengwar LETTER STEMLESS ANNA
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E033	|| Tengwar LETTER STEMLESS VILYA (digit one)
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Tengwar accents CSUR encoding
! Name	!! Image	!! CSUR	|| Designation annotation
|-
| amatixe 3	|| [[File:Tehta amatixe3.GIF|24px|amatixe 3]]	|| U+E040	|| Tengwar SIGN THREE DOTS ABOVE
|-
| unutixe 3	||  || U+E041	|| Tengwar SIGN THREE DOTS BELOW
|-
| amatixe 2	|| [[File:Tehta amatixe2.GIF|24px|amatixe 2]]	|| U+E042	|| Tengwar SIGN TWO DOTS ABOVE
|-
| unutixe 2	|| [[File:Tehta unutixe2.GIF|24px|unutixe 2]]	|| U+E043	|| Tengwar SIGN TWO DOTS BELOW
|-
| amatixe 1	|| [[File:Tehta amatixe1.gif|24px|amatixe 1]]	|| U+E044	|| Tengwar SIGN AMATICSE (dot above)
|-
| unutixe 1	|| [[File:Tehta unutixe1.GIF|24px|unutixe 1]]	|| U+E045	|| Tengwar SIGN NUNTICSE (dot below)
|-
| tecco	|| [[File:Tehta tecco.gif|24px|tecco]]	|| U+E046	|| Tengwar SIGN ACUTE (andaith, long mark)
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E047	|| Tengwar SIGN DOUBLE ACUTE
|-
| rempe	|| [[File:Tehta rempe.GIF|24px|rempe]]	|| U+E048	|| Tengwar SIGN RIGHT CURL
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E049	|| Tengwar SIGN DOUBLE RIGHT CURL
|-
| rempenuquerna	|| [[File:Tehta rempenuquerna.GIF|24px|rempenuquerna]]	|| U+E04A	|| Tengwar SIGN LEFT CURL
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E04B	|| Tengwar SIGN DOUBLE LEFT CURL
|-
| amatwe	|| [[File:Tehta amatwe.GIF|24px|amatwe]]	|| U+E04C	|| Tengwar SIGN NASALIZER
|-
| unuatwe	|| [[File:Tehta unuatwe.GIF|24px|unuatwe]]	|| U+E04D	|| Tengwar SIGN DOUBLER
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E04E	|| Tengwar SIGN TILDE
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E04F	|| Tengwar SIGN BREVE
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E050	|| Tengwar PUSTA (putta, stop)
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E051	|| Tengwar DOUBLE PUSTA (putta)
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E052	|| Tengwar EXCLAMATION MARK
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E053	|| Tengwar QUESTION MARK
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E054	|| Tengwar SECTION MARK
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E055	|| Tengwar LONG SECTION MARK
|-
| thinnas	|| [[File:Tehta thinnas.gif|24px|thinnas]]	|| U+E056	|| Tengwar SIGN LONG CARRIER BELOW
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E057	|| Tengwar SIGN DOUBLE ACUTE BELOW
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E058	|| Tengwar SIGN RIGHT CURL BELOW
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E05A	|| Tengwar SIGN LEFT CURL BELOW
|-
| sarince	|| [[File:Tehta sarince.gif|24px|sarince]]	|| U+E05C	|| Tengwar SIGN LEFT FOLLOWING SILME
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E05D	|| Tengwar SIGN RIGHT FOLLOWING SILME
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Tengwar digits CSUR encoding
! Name	!! Image	!! CSUR	|| Designation annotation
|-
|title="STEMLESS OORE"| 0	|| 	|| U+E030	|| Tengwar LETTER STEMLESS OORE (digit zero)
|-
|title="STEMLESS VILYA"| 1	|| 	|| U+E033	|| Tengwar LETTER STEMLESS VILYA (digit one)
|-
| 2	|| 	|| U+E062	|| Tengwar DIGIT TWO
|-
| 3	|| 	|| U+E063	|| Tengwar DIGIT THREE
|-
| 4	|| 	|| U+E064	|| Tengwar DIGIT FOUR
|-
| 5	|| 	|| U+E065	|| Tengwar DIGIT FIVE
|-
| 6	|| 	|| U+E066	|| Tengwar DIGIT SIX
|-
| 7	|| 	|| U+E067	|| Tengwar DIGIT SEVEN
|-
| 8	|| 	|| U+E068	|| Tengwar DIGIT EIGHT
|-
| 9	|| 	|| U+E069	|| Tengwar DIGIT NINE
|-
| 10	|| 	|| U+E06A	|| Tengwar DUODECIMAL DIGIT TEN
|-
| 11	|| 	|| U+E06B	|| Tengwar DUODECIMAL DIGIT ELEVEN
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E06C	|| Tengwar DECIMAL BASE MARK
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E06D	|| Tengwar DUODECIMAL BASE MARK
|-
| 	|| 	|| U+E06E	|| Tengwar DUODECIMAL LEAST SIGNIFICANT DIGIT MARK
|}

==In popular culture ==

Tengwar has been used in [[Tolkien fandom]] since the publication of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Shelton <!--Tolkien scholar--> |first=Luke |title=Anna Voß's Experience — Tolkien Experience Project (212) |url=https://luke-shelton.com/2022/10/25/anna-voss-experience-tolkien-experience-project-212/ |publisher=Luke Shelton |access-date=23 March 2023 |date=25 October 2022 |quote=Like most Tolkien obsessed teens, I used to teach myself writing Tengwar. Nowadays I research writing systems by way of typesetting/typography. It’s a field very much connected to Philology.}}</ref>

With the exception of [[John Rhys-Davies]], the actors playing the [[Fellowship of the Ring (characters)|Fellowship of the Ring]] in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy have Tengwar tattoos of the English word ''nine''.<ref name="tattoo">{{cite web |title=The stars of The Lord of the Rings trilogy reach their journey's end |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue348/interview.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306100400/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue348/interview.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=March 6, 2007 |accessdate=May 31, 2007 |publisher=SciFi.com}}</ref>

Footballers such as [[Sergio Agüero]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaviraj |first=Tina |title=10 things you need to know about Sergio Aguero |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/10-things-you-need-know-about-sergio-aguero |access-date=2022-02-05 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |date=22 February 2017 }}</ref> and [[Fernando Torres]]<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boyd |first1=Mike |date=2014-12-17 |title=Torres and Aguero's Elvish Obssession &#91;sic&#93; |url=https://www.soccerpro.com/thecentercircle/hobbits-dwarves-elves-oh/ |access-date=2022-02-05 |website=The Center Circle - A SoccerPro Soccer Fan Blog }}</ref> have tattoos with their first name in Tengwar on their forearms.

== See also ==

* [[Cirth]]
* [[A Elbereth Gilthoniel]]
* [[Elvish languages (Middle-earth)]]
* [[Namárië]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== Sources ==

For a list of linguistic material by Tolkien published in the journals ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' and ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'', see [[Elvish languages (Middle-earth)#Bibliography|bibliography in Elvish languages (Middle-earth)]].

* Derzhanski, Ivan A. "The Fëanorian Tengwar and the Typology of Phonetic Writing Systems." ''Vinyar Tengwar'' 41 (2000): 20–23.
* [[Carl F. Hostetter|Hostetter, Carl F.]] ""Si man i-yulmar n(g)win enquatuva": A Newly-Discovered Tengwar Inscription." ''Vinyar Tengwar'' 21 (1992): 6–10.
* [[Arden R. Smith|Smith, Arden R.]], Irmengard Rauch and Gerald F. Carr. "The Semiotics of the Writing Systems of Tolkien's Middle-earth." In ''Semiotics around the World: Synthesis in Diversity, I-II'', ed. Irmengard Rauch, 1239–42. Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter, 1997.

== External links ==

{{Commons category|Tengwar}}

* [https://at.boktypografen.se/ Amanye Tenceli] A general presentation by Måns Björkman of the Tengwar script, with some extrapolations.
* [http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/mdtci.html The Mellonath Daeron Index of Tengwar Specimina]&nbsp;— a continuously expanding list of published Tengwar samples
* [http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n1641/n1641.htm Official proposal to encode Tengwar in Unicode]
* [http://www.evertype.com/standards/csur/Tengwar.html Tengwar proposal for ConScript Unicode Registry]
* [http://tengtelc.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/number-of-Tengwar-fonts/ A comprehensive list of Tengwar fonts]
* [http://freeTengwar.sourceforge.net/ Free Tengwar Font Project], a project promoting [[Free and open source software|free and open]] Tengwar fonts mapped into [[Unicode]] private use code points
* [https://www.tecendil.com/tengwar-handbook/ Tengwar Handbook]

{{Languages of Middle-earth}}
{{Middle-earth}}
{{Constructed languages}}

[[Category:Abugida writing systems]]
[[Category:Alphabets]]
[[Category:Middle-earth writing systems]]
[[Category:Writing systems introduced in 1937]]
[[Category:Miscellaneous Unicode blocks]]