Abstract. We present a micro-Raman study associated with magnetization measurements of high quality Nd 1-x Ca x MnO 3 single crystals, grown by the floating zone technique, in the temperature range from 4.2 to 300K for x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1. Similarly to LaMnO3, the orthorhombic crystalline structures are distorted by a static Jahn-Teller effect consistent with the Pbnm space group. Influence of phase separation in ferromagnetic and A-type antiferromagnetic domains in the low doping regime is retraced by monitoring the Raman active phonon frequencies as a function of temperature and composition. The most intense B 2g mode softens for x = 0, 0.025, 0.05 compounds below T N ~80K, following the paramagnetic to canted-antiferromagnetic phase transition. While the magnetization measurements indicate for x = 0.1 compound an overall antiferromagnetic transition, its Raman B 2g mode does not soften below T N pointing to a disruption of long range antiferromagnetism.