Your Sindarin Textbook
Chapter Two, Lesson Three: Númenórean Tengwar

Chapter Two | Lesson One | Lesson Two | Lesson Three
Introduction
Syllabus
Part I
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Part II
Chapter One
Back to Realelvish

The Númenóreans preferred to use an adaption of the Tengwar that was much closer to that of Quenya, and they used it for Adûnaic as well. You will notice many similarities to the script of Beleriand, but be careful not to confuse the two.

t"tinco"
Written as "t"
p"parma"
Written as "p"
c"calma"
IPA symbol /k/
Written as "c"
d"ando"
Written as "d"
b"umbar"
Written as "b"
g"anga"
Written as "g"
th"thúlë"
IPA symbol /θ/
Written as "th"
f"formen"
IPA symbol /f/
Written as "f" and "ph"
ch"aha"
IPA symbol /x/
Written as "ch"
dh"anto"
IPA symbol /ð/
Written as "dh"
v"ampa"
IPA symbol /v/
Written as "f" at the end of a word and "v"
nn"númen"
Written as "n"
mm"malta"
Written as "m"
r"órë"
Written as "r"
w"vala"
Written as "w"
j"anna"
IPA symbol /j/
Written as "i"
w"wilya"
Written as "w"
The odds and ends that don't fit the pattern.
r"rómen"
Written as "r"
rh"arda"
IPA symbol /r̥/
Written as "rh"
l"lambë"
Written as "l"
lh"alda"
IPA symbol /ɬ/
Written as "lh"
s"silmë"
Written as "s"
ss"essë"
Written as "ss"
s"silmë nuquerna"
Written as "s"
ss"essë nuquerna"
Written as "ss"
h"hyarmen"
Written as "h"
hw"hwesta sindarinwa"
IPA symbol /ʍ/
Written as "hw"
j"yanta"
IPA symbol /j/
Written as "i"
h"halla"
Written as "h"

Consonant Modifiers

This mode depends much more heavily on the consonant modifiers than the Mode of Beleriand. As you can see from the chart above, almost none of the fourth-column consonants are used.

The "N" Modifier

It can be drawn as a tilde or a simple bar. It is used for nasal+stop combinations.

ntntmpmpncnc
ndndmbmbngng

The "W" Modifier

Be careful to distinguish this symbol from the N modifier. It is used for consonant+w combinations, except for HW.

dwdw bwbw chwchw
thwthw phwphw
dhwdhw gwgw
nwnw rwrw lwlw

The Geminate Modifier

It makes one letter into two letters. MM and NN can be made with either the N modifier or the geminate modifier. It is a bar underneath the letter, though L tends to be a bit weird. When handwritten, it's a slanted line, but in typeface, you'll see it as a line parallel to the top stroke of the L.

ll mm nn
ll mm or mm nn or nn

Vowels

Unlike the Mode of Beleriand, where the vowels are their own letters, in this mode, the vowels are diacritics put over the top or underneath of the consonant that follows them. When they aren't followed by a consonant, they are put on the short carrier, "telco". When the vowels are long, they aren't put on a consonant. Instead, they are put on a long carrier, "ára". For some of them, you can put two of the vowel symbols over a consonant to show a long vowel, but that doesn't work for A, I, or Y. Using Ára instead is easier.

Vowels a or a a ee ii oo uu yy
Long Vowels aa or aa á/â eeé/ê iií/î ooó/ô uuú/û yyý/ŷ
Diphthongs ai or ai ai eiei ae or ae ae oeoe uiui au or au or au or au au/aw

Putting It To Use

The punctuation marks are the same as they are in the Mode of Beleriand. So, this is what it looks like:

An Example of Tengwar

Homework

Write this poem in tengwar, scan, and send it to me.

Gil-galad aran edhellen.
I thelegain linnar asson:
I âr vedui dôr vain a lain
Min eryd ar min aearon.

Megil dîn anann, ech dîn laeg,
Thôl hílol dîn palan-dirnen:
In geil ernediaid menel
Tírannen ned thangail vith dîn.

Palan-nerant 'wachae io and
Ar ú-ben pêd had i dhortha
Tinu dîn dannant mi dhúath
Mi Vordor, i nôr-i-merchaint.