Bifurcation characteristics of a nonlinear system can be manipulated by small controls. In this paper, we present a control method to create Hopf bifurcations in discrete-time nonlinear systems. The critical conditions for the Hopf bifurcations are discussed. The center manifold method, normal form technique and the Iooss's Hopf bifurcation theory are employed in the derivation of the control gain. Numerical demonstration is provided. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.