Focusing on the influence of the matrix lattice anisotropy on the polarization luminescence of rare earth ions, ZnO microrods and europium-doped ZnO microrods were prepared using a hydrothermal method. Comparative studies have found that the length-to-diameter ratio of doped samples increases, and the morphology of the microrod changes from dumbbell-like to straight. Analysis of the optical properties shows that the bound exciton luminescence at 385-nm makes the UV luminescence of ZnO microrods appear asymmetrical, and a weak luminescence in visible region is observed at 550 nm. After europium ion doping, the luminescence in the visible region is enhanced. For Eu³⁺ doped ZnO microrods, Eu³⁺ ion characteristic luminescence peaks with narrow half width can be observed under 532-nm excitation. When the polarization direction of the incident excitation light is adjusted, the emission of Eu³⁺ ions changes periodically with the angle of the polarized light. The polarization degree increases as the doping concentration increases. These results show that the luminescence of the europium ions in the ZnO microrod matrix lattice is sensitive to the polarization of excited light. Doped ZnO microrods can integrate the ultraviolet absorption properties of low-dimensional ZnO materials with the excellent visible luminescence properties of rare earth ions, meaning they have significant application value in fields such as polarization detection.