Boron carbide (B4C) ceramics with enhanced mechanical properties have been fabricated with boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs, 1.5–5 wt%) as reinforcement via spark plasma sintering. The densification temperature of the B4C ceramic containing 3 wt% BNNSs (B4C-3 %BNNSs) was reduced to 1480–1700 °C, approximately 100 ℃ lower than the pure B4C ceramic. The B4C-3 %BNNSs composites with a density of 98.9 % and associated Vickers hardness of 34.4 GPa, flexural strength of 654 MPa, and fracture toughness of 4.86 MPa·m1/2 that represent a respective increased by 1.1 GPa (3.3 %), 178 MPa (37.4 %) and 1.57 MPa·m1/2 (47.7 %) relative to pure B4C. The reinforcement mechanisms due to BNNSs combined with B4C involves a synergistic effect of the decrease in densification temperature where the BNNSs promote B4C grain rearrangement, B4C twin grain boundaries, and BNNSs pull-out, crack branching and crack deflection effects.