Nanocrystalline hydrogenated silicon (nc-Si : H) thin films were deposited at room temperature by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD): a mixture of SiH₄ and H₂ gas was introduced into the evacuated reaction chamber. When the H₂ gas flow rate was low, the density of Si-H₃ bonds was high in the films. On the other hand, when the H₂ gas flow rate was high, e.g., 100 sccm, a large number of Si-H bonds contributed to the passivation of the surface of the large volume of Si nanocrystallites. The relative fraction of the Si-H₃ and Si-H₂ bonds in the amorphous matrix varied sensitively with the H₂ gas flow rate. The variation was associated with the change in the intensity as well as the wavelength of the main PL peaks, indicating the change in the total volume as well as the size of the Si nanocrystallites in the films.