ZnO nanorods are fabricated by arc discharge with ZnO powder as source materials. The sample is characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman scattering spectra, scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The ZnO nanorods exhibit single crystals with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. Many of them are tetrapod-like. The diameters range from several nanometres to about 100nm, and the main diameters of the nanorods is around 20nm. The length-to-diameter ratio is more than 5, and the grown directions are along the [001] axis. Photoluminescence spectra show a narrow ultraviolet emission at around 389nm and a broad green emission at around 520 nm. The growth process can be interpreted by the vapour-solid mechanism.