Sb2Se3 nanowires were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at 150 oC for 24 h using SbCl3 and different Se sources of SeO2 or Se powder as starting materials and N2H4·H2O as reductant. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) were applied to characterize the phase distributions, microstructures and grain sizes of the nanostructured product. Results show that the orthorhombic Sb2Se3 nanocrystals are formed during the hydrothermal synthesis process, with the microstructure of one-dimensional nanowires. The morphologies of the synthesized Sb2Se3 nanowires with SeO2 or Se powder as the precursors are similar; however, the growth processes are different due to the different reaction route. The Sb2Se3 nanowires using SeO2 as the precursors are narrower and thinner but more uniform than the products using Se powder as the precursor. The growth of the Sb2Se3 nanowires along the [001] direction is mainly related to the special crystal structure of Sb2Se3