Undoped and Li-doped NiO thin films were grown on alpha-Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) substrates by mist chemical vapor deposition. Both undoped and Li-doped NiO thin films grew bi-epitaxially on the substrates with crystallographic orientation relationships of NiO(1 1 1)[(1) over bar 1 0]parallel to alpha-Al2O3(0 0 0 1)[0 1 (1) over bar 0] and NiO(1 1 1)[1 (1) over bar 0]|parallel to alpha-Al2O3(0 0 0 1) [0 1 (1) over bar 0]. In the Li-doped NiO thin film, a periodic structure was observed, in accordance with a mirror-symmetrical oxygen layer on the terraces of the substrate. Both undoped and Li-doped NiO thin films exhibited high transmittance (> 80%) in the visible-light region and optical bandgaps of 3.7-3.8 eV. The undoped NiO thin film showed insulating properties and a resistivity of 10(6) Omega cm or higher. In contrast, the Li-doped NiO thin films had resistivities of 10(1) - 10(5) Omega cm, depending on the Li precursor concentration. Furthermore, they exhibited positive Seebeck coefficients, indicating their p-type conductivity. These results indicate that Li dopants effectively act as acceptors in NiO thin films.