Abstract: Bismuth sulfide nanorods were synthesized from bismuth citrate and thiourea by microwave irradiation in the presence of surfactants. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The influence of surfactants on the morphology and crystallization of Bi₂S₃ nanorods was discussed. It is found that cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) benefit the formation of Bi₂S₃ nanorods. Low concentration of β-CD (~0.005 mol·L^-1) is favorable to the synthesis of well-separated Bi₂S₃ nanorods. The effect of preparation methods on the synthesis of Bi₂S₃ nanorods was also discussed. The results show that microwave irradiation saves about 80% of reaction time in comparison with the refluxing method, and Bi₂S₃ nanorods exhibit different crystal lattice growth directions in these two methods.