A study was undertaken to investigate the absorption, translocation and metabolism of carbofuran in rice paddies. Ring-3-$^{14}C-carbofuran$ applied onto the paddy soil surface was rapidly absorbed and translocated into rice plants. Within 2 days after treatment, it was observed that carbofuran reached shoot tips and accumulated. More than 15% of total radioactivity was recovered in rice plant from 3 to 20 days after treatment. In organic soluble fraction of rice plant extract, 3-hydroxycarbofuran was the major metabolite recording 43% and 4% of total organic soluble radioactivity in shoot and root at 20 days respectively. 3-Ketocarbofuran and phenolic metabolites including carbofuran phenol, 3-hydroxycarbofuran phenol and 3-ketocarbofuran phenol were also detected in the organic soluble fractions. Some glycosidic conjugates of carbofuran metabolites were found in water soluble fraction of rice plant extract and 3-hydroxycarbofuran was the most abundant aglycone. Radioactivity in paddy soil was rapidly decreased until 3 days after treatment and then maintained almost constant level. A significant portion (42∼56 %) of the total radioactivity remained in soil as nonextractable residue from 5 to 20 days after treatment. The nonextractable radioactivity was mainly located in soil organic matter distributing in humin, fulvic acid and humic acid fractions with the decreasing order. Evolution of $^{14}CO_2$ from ring cleavage of $3-^{14}C-carbofuran$ was negligible recording only 1.8% of total radioactivity during 20 days after treatment.