MoS₂ is an important member of the transition metal dichalcogenides that is emerging as a potential 2D atomically thin layered material for low power electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, for MoS₂ a critical fundamental question of significant importance is how the surface energy and hence the wettability is altered at the nanoscale in particular, the role of crystallinity and orientation. This work reports on the synthesis of large area MoS₂ thin films on insulating substrates (SiO₂/Si and Al₂O₃) with different surface morphology via vapor phase deposition by varying the growth temperatures. The samples were examined using transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. From contact angle measurements, it is possible to correlate the wettability with crystallinity at the nanoscale. The specific surface energy for few layers MoS₂ is estimated to be about 46.5 mJ/m². Moreover a layer thickness-dependent wettability study suggests that the lower the thickness is, the higher the contact angle will be. Our results shed light on the MoS₂–water interaction that is important for the development of devices based on MoS₂ coated surfaces for microfluidic applications.