The invention provides a directly-heated rotary kiln for reduction nitridation reaction. The directly-heated rotary kiln is used for producing vanadium-nitrogen alloy, nitrided ferrovanadium, reduced iron, nitrided ferrochromium and other products and comprises a rotary pipe, refractory materials, a driving wheel, a bearing wheel, an electric heating system, a kiln head box, a kiln tail box and other parts. A cylindrical or prismatic inner cavity enclosed by the refractory materials is a kiln chamber. The electric heating system comprises a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a heating power source applies direct-current voltage to the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the electrodes make contact with a heated material in the rotary kiln, current flows through the material through the positive electrode and then flows to the negative electrode, the materials serve as a resistor for heating, and heating of the materials is completed. Protrusions with the height of 1cm are arranged on the inner wall of the kiln chamber, the length-diameter ratio of the heating section is optimized, a material level maintaining device and the like are additionally arranged on a feeding channel or a discharging port of the kiln chamber, the filling rate of materials in the kiln chamber is increased, the requirement for the voltage level of a heating power source is lowered, the productivity of the directly-heated rotary kiln is increased, and energy consumption is reduced.