Cadmium tungstate (CdWO4) nanorods were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal process at as low a temperature as 70 degrees C. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescent spectra techniques. The results showed that the morphology of nanocrystallites significantly varied with the reaction temperature, and CdWO4 nanorods exhibited a better luminescent property than nanofibers.