Influence of various rare-earth oxide sintering additives () on the microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-pressed Si 3 N 4 /SiC nanocomposites have been investigated. Fracture toughness of investigated materials slightly decreased with increasing ionic radius of rare-earth element (RE). Aspect ratio of the Si 3 N 4 grains increased with decreasing ionic radius of rare-earth both in the studied Si 3 N 4 /SiC nanocomposites. Materials with higher aspect ratio of the Si 3 N 4 grains exhibited crack deflection more frequently compared to the Si 3 N 4 doped with lower aspect ratio, which was responsible for the higher fracture toughness. Flexural strength of the investigated materials increased with decreasing ionic radius of rare-earth elements. Significantly improved creep resistance was observed in case of nancomposite materials with smaller ionic radius of RE 3+ .