High-performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC) with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) coupled with microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) as an efficient sample preparation technique has been developed for fingerprint analysis of Dioscorea nipponica. The samples were separated with an Agilent C8 column using water (A) and acetonitrile (B) under gradient conditions (0-10 min, linear gradient 20-40% B; 10-12 min, linear gradient 40-42% B; 12-25 min, isocratic 42% B) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1) within 22 min. The ELSD conditions were optimized at nebulizer-gas flow rate 2.7 L min(-1) and drift tube temperature 90 degrees C. Precision experiments showed relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of peak area and retention time were better than 2.5%; inter-day and intra-day variabilities showed that R.S.D. was ranged from 0.78% to 4.74%. Limit of detection was less than 50 microg mL(-1) and limit of quantification was less than 80 microg mL(-1). Accuracy validation showed that average recovery was between 97.39% and 104.07%. The method was validated to achieve the satisfactory precision and recovery. Relative retention time and relative peak area were used to identify the common peaks for fingerprint analysis. There are nine common peaks in the fingerprint. The quality of seven batches of D. nipponica samples was evaluated to be qualified or unqualified by the parameters "difference" and "total difference" of common peaks. Furthermore, the contents of important medicinal compounds (dioscin, prodioscin and gracillin) in different batches of D. nipponica samples were determined simultaneously using the developed HPLC-ELSD method. The results indicated variation of the herb quality which might be related to different producing area, growing condition, climate, harvest time, drug processing and so on. The developed analytical procedure was proved to be a reliable and rapid method for the quality control of D. nipponica.