Abstract The temperature dependence of the luminescence properties of nanocrystalline CdS/Mn 2+ particles is investigated. In addition to an orange Mn 2+ emission around 585 nm a red defect related emission around 700 nm is observed. The temperature quenching of both emissions is similar ( T q ≈100 K). For the defect emission the reduction in the lifetime follows the temperature dependence of the intensity. For the Mn 2+ emission however, the intensity decreases more rapidly than the lifetime with increasing temperature. To explain these observations a model is proposed in which the Mn 2+ ions are excited via an intermediate state involving shallowly trapped (≈40 meV) charge carriers.