A facile Au-catalytic reactive evaporation method was developed to synthesize cubic zinc gallate (ZnGa(2)O(4)) nanowires through the reaction of Ga(2)O(3) film and ZnO vapor at high temperature. The ZnGa(2)O(4) nanowires are well crystalline and the length is up to tens of micrometers. The growth process follows typical vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. All the cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of individual nanowires reveal a strong, broad and asymmetric blue emission band centered at ca. 460 nm. It is thought that the excess Ga(3+) is the main reason for the unusual blue emission properties. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.