Manganese oxide nanomaterials (Mn3O4) have been prepared from manganese salts of two different anions and studied the role of metal precursor. Manganous sulphate monohydrate and manganese oxalate were used as manganese metal precursors. The obtained Mn3O4 samples were characterized by x‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐vis absorbance spectra and photoluminescence excitation spectra. The x‐ray diffraction reveals that the prepared nanoparticles are crystalline in nature with tetragonal structure. In addition, the x‐ray diffraction concludes that the lattice parameters were altered with change in the precursors. The transmission electron microscope exhibits the prepared manganese oxide particles were nano in scale between the ranges of 25 nm to 60 nm. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum confirmed the presence of manganese oxide. The luminescence intensity of the samples varies depending upon the precursors used. The sample comprising of mixed precursors shows higher luminescence intensity than the samples containing MnSO4 ⋅ H2O and MnC2O4 precursors. This is owing to the fact that the surface of the sample has a lower concentration of hydroxyl ions, which was confirmed from the Fourier transform infrared spectra.