Silicon carbide (SiC) possesses excellent properties of wide band gap, high electron saturation velocity, high breakdown field strength, high thermal conductivity and good chemical stability, etc. SiC is an ideal raw material for high-performance power device and other semiconductor devices. With the advantages of simple processing, convenient operation and low-cost equipment requirements, wet etching has been adopted in the materials characterization and device of SiC. Defect analysis and surface modification can all greatly benefit from wet etching. According to the underlying mechanisms, wet etching can be classified into electrochemical etching and chemical etching. In this review, the mechanisms, equipments and applications of both electrochemical etching and chemical etching have been introduced.