Nanocrystalline TIN powder has been synthesized by the direct nitridation of nanocrystalline TiO2 powder. Powder XRD patterns indicated that the TiN nanocrystalline powder could be obtained by nitridation at 800 degreesC for 5 h. TEM micrographs showed that the synthesized TiN powders consisted of uniform spherical particles with an average diameter of similar to 20 nm. The effect of the nitridation temperature and holding time on the powder properties is discussed.