We examined the characteristics of one-dimensional GaN nanowires grown by a vapor-liquid-solid method using metal organic chemical vapor deposition equipment. GaN nanowires grown at 700 °C were uniform in size, approximately 5 µm in length and 200 nm in diameter, with a high density. X-ray diffraction showed that the nanowires grew as wurtzite GaN with random directions. Photoluminescence at 4 K revealed excitonic emission but no yellow luminescence. By using a temperature dependant photoluminescence, the bandgaps at 0 K of free exiton (FX) and donorbound exciton (D°X) calculated using Varshni's equation were 3.476 and 3.470 eV, respectively. The activation energies of D°X and FX were 19.1 and 12.8 meV, respectively.