The synthesis of single crystalline K 6 Ta 10.8 O 30 nanowires by molten salt method was reported for the first time. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the as-prepared products were pure phase K 6 Ta 10.8 O 30 . Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results showed that the products consisted of wire-like nanostructures with 100–300nm in diameter and several micrometers in length. High resolution electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction results indicated that the K 6 Ta 10.8 O 30 nanowires were single crystalline with a growth direction of [001]. The ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance measurement showed that the band gap of the nanowires was about 4.1eV. The effects of reaction temperature, time, and weight ratio of the precursor (mixture of K 2 CO 3 and Ta 2 O 5 ) to KCl salt on the morphology of the products were investigated.