Abstract: Taking coal samples containing water as the research objects, the acoustic emission test was carried out during the compression deformation process, where the acoustic emission characteristics of coal samples with different moisture content were studied. The results show that the presence of water makes moulded coal softened, the peak stress and elastic modulus decrease with the increase of the water content, the characteristics of deformation transfer from brittle to ductile. Coal AE count rate is almost the same with stress change trend, with the increasing of water content, yield stress and AE count decreased, while the concentration of acoustic emission count signal trend transfers from a large amplitude to a small one; when the moisture content is higher, the acoustic emission cumulative ring count of water-bearing coal samples is much less than that of dry coal and lags behind, but, obtained curves of the dry coal samples and wet coal samples are similar in shape.