Cotton fiber and NaOH-mercerized cotton fiber had been treated by liquid ammonia and were dyed with two direct dyes, C.I. Direct Red 2 and Blue 1. The effect of the treatment on the rate of dyeing, dye adsorption isotherm, and affinity were studied. The rate of dyeing was increased in the order of NaOH-mercerized> NaOH/liquid ammonia-treated > liquid ammonia-treated>Untreated cotton irrespective of kind of dyes. The rate of dyeing for NaOH-treated fiber considerably increased, whereas liquid ammonia-treated or NaOH/liquid ammonia-treated did not because the structural transformation was not enough for the dyes to penetrate easily into the liquied ammonia-treated cottons. The time of half-dyeing was considerably reduced by mercerizing with NaOH, but lengthened by liquid ammonia treatment because of increased equilibrium dye exhaustion especially in dyeing with C.I. Dierect Red 2. In spite of a short time of the ammonia treatment for 4 seconds, the equilibrium exhaustions of both of direct dyes, C.I. Direct Red 2 and C.I. Direct Blue 1, were increased in proportion to internal volume of treated cotton under a condition of fixed affinity.