The nuclear quadrupole interaction of short-lived β-emitter ¹²N(I = 1, T _1/2 = 11 ms) implanted into a ZnO single crystal has been studied by means of the β-NMR method. We have observed a quadrupole splitting of ¹²N in ZnO at room temperature, from which the electric field gradient (EFG) q = + (8.6 ±1.1) ×10¹⁹ V/m² was deduced assuming axially symmetric EFG with respect to the crystalline c axis. A first principle calculation does not reproduce the data under assumption of the lattice location of ¹²N at the oxygen substitutional site.