The purpose of this study was to investigate chronic radiation effects on the basal cell of the rat tongue epithelium according to different irradiation timing. Forty-two female rats were devided into 5 experimental groups according to different irradiation timing and were irradiated single dose of 396cGy by MK cell irradiator using Cs-137. Experimental rats were sacrificed at the 2nd week, 4th week and 6th week after birth. The specimens were examined with light microscope and transmission electron microscope. The following results were obtained. 1. The first changes after irraditation were vacuoles. The vacuoles were chiefly observed in the cytoplasm, perinuclei area, and nuclei. 2. The most severe degenerative changes in the basal cell layer were observed in all experimental groups. ; cellular disarrangement, vacuole formation, widening of intercellular space, enlarged mitochondria & rER, and chromatin clumping were seen. 3. The cellular degenerative changes were most severe at the 4th week after birth in all experimental group, and the basal cell hyperplasia was seen at the 6th week in the most of experimental groups 4. The experimental groups 3 and 4 show more severe and more prolonged cellular degeneration than experimental groups 1 and 2, which were irradiated in pregnancy, and experimental group 5, which was irradiated after tongue maturation.