Polarization characteristics of luminescence from partial dislocations (PDs) in 4H-SiC have been investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) imaging. The PLs from mobile PDs under optical excitation, which are 30 degrees-Si(g) PDs, and PDs tilted by 6 degrees from their Burgers vector (6 degrees-PDs) were found to be polarized perpendicular to their dislocation lines. In contrast, the PL from immobile 30 degrees-C(g) PDs was not polarized. The present results suggest that the carriers bound to the 30 degrees-Si(g) and 6 degrees-PDs have anisotropic wave functions and those bound to 30 degrees-C(g) PDs have isotropic wave functions. (C) 2013 The Japan Society of Applied Physics