Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain a better understanding of nurse manager’s recognition behavior. Methods: This study, consisting of semi-structured interviews, was conducted in five hospitals with 100 beds or more in the Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu regions of Japan. Fifteen nurse managers, who each had more than one year of professional work experience as a nurse manager, participated in this study. Results: We extracted four categories and fourteen subcategories as the factors related to the recognition behaviors in nurse managers. The first category is the basis of the recognition behaviors, which were divided into the following four subcategories: recognition behaviors that they received, perception of recognition behaviors, construction of confidential relationships with staff nurses, and the organizational climate. The second category is the issues that make recognition behaviors difficult, which were classified into the following three subcategories: multiple duties, number of staff nurses, and characteristics of the recent staff nurses. The third category is the factors regarding the staff nurses that must be considered, which consist of the following two subcategories: the characteristics and motivation of staff nurses and recognition behaviors that the staff nurses expect. The forth category is the methods of the recognition behaviors, which consist of the following five categories: watching over and consideration of individuals, evaluation of routine work, development as a professional, opinion sharing and delegating work, and promotion of work-life balance. Conclusions: The recognition behavior by nurse managers is influenced by their own experience, and nurse managers practice recognition behaviors in response to the characteristics of their staff nurses in a busy environment. Our results suggest that nurse managers need expertise in management for them to identity appropriate recognition behavior.