OH, CH and NO radical distributions have been measured and compared with the numerical analysis results in methane/air partially premixed laminar flames using 2-D LIF technique. The pick intensity of OH LIF signal is insensitive to fuel equivalence ratio: however, CH LIF intensity decreases as equivalence ratio increases and the NO concentration increases with equivalence ratio. The contribution of the prompt NO, formed near premixed reaction zone, to the total NO formation is evident from the OH, CH, and NO PLIF images in which the dilution effect of nitrogen is minimal for the highest equivalence ratio. Measured OH and NO LIF signals in counterflow flames agree with the computed concentration distributions. Both numerical and experimental results indicate that the structural change in a flame alters the NO formation characteristics of a partially premixed counterflow flame. The nitrogen dilution also changes flame structure, temperature and OH radical distributions and results in the decreased NO concentrations in a flame. The levels of decrease in NO concentrations, however, depends on the premixedness(${alpha}$) of a flame. The larger change in the flame structure and NO concentrations have been observed in a premixed flame(${alpha}=1.0$), which implies that the premixedness is likely to be a factor in the dilution effect on NO formation of a flame.