Spray characteristics of diesel fuel injection is one of the most important factors in diesel combustion and pollutant emissions especially in HSDI (High Speed Direct Injection) diesel engines where the interval between the onset of combustion and the evaporation of atomized fuel is relatively short, An investigation into various spray characteristics from different holes of VCO(Valve Covered Orifice) nozzles was performed and its results were compared to standard sac nozzle. The global characteristics of spray, including spray angle, spray tip penetration, and spray pattern were measured from the spray images which were frozen by an instantaneous photography with a spark light source. For better understanding of spray behavior, SMD of the fuel sprays from multi hole nozzles were measured with back light imaging while the sprays from the other holes are covered by a purpose-built nozzle cap. The investigation manifestly reveals the different spray patterns at the beginning of injection produced by VCO nozzles can be identified as three distinct types with their own macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, while macroscopic non-uniformity disappears at 0.9∼1.0ms from the start of injection.