A liquid crystal display device, comprising in the following order: a first polarizer; a first birefringent layer; a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer interposed between a pair of substrates facing each other, a second birefringent layer; a birefringent layer; and a second polarizer, and the device further comprising at least one birefringent layer between the first birefringent layer and the liquid crystal cell and/or between the liquid crystal cell and the second birefringent layer, the first and second birefringent layers (320, 340) each satisfying nx > ny ≥ nz, having an in-plane retardation of λ/4, and having substantially the same Nz coefficient, the birefringent layer satisfying nx < ny ≤ nz, the birefringent layer satisfying nx ≈ ny ≥ nz, wherein the first birefringent layer has an in-plane slow axis forming an angle of about 45° with an absorption axis of the first polarizer; the second birefringent layer has an in-plane slow axis substantially orthogonal to the in-plane slow axis of the first birefringent layer; the second polarizer has an absorption axis substantially orthogonal to the absorption axis of the first polarizer; and the LC cell displays a black screen by aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer substantially vertically to the substrate surface, characterized in that the birefringent layer has an in-plane fast axis substantially orthogonal to the absorption axis of the second polarizer, and the liquid crystal display device satisfies the following formulae to: 1.0 ≤ Nzq ≤ 2.9 169 nm × Nzq - 81 nm - 30 nm ≤ R 1 c + R 3 R 1 c + R 3 ≤ 169 nm × Nzq - 81 nm + 30 nm where the Nz coefficient of each of the first and second birefringent layers (320, 340) is defined as Nzq; a thickness-direction retardation of the liquid crystal cell in a black state is defined as Rlc; a sum of a thickness-direction retardation of the at least one birefringent layer disposed between the first birefringent layer and the second birefringent layer is defined as R3. a first polarizer; a first birefringent layer; a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer interposed between a pair of substrates facing each other, a second birefringent layer; a birefringent layer; and a second polarizer, and the device further comprising at least one birefringent layer between the first birefringent layer and the liquid crystal cell and/or between the liquid crystal cell and the second birefringent layer, the first and second birefringent layers (320, 340) each satisfying nx > ny ≥ nz, having an in-plane retardation of λ/4, and having substantially the same Nz coefficient, the birefringent layer satisfying nx < ny ≤ nz, the birefringent layer satisfying nx ≈ ny ≥ nz, wherein the first birefringent layer has an in-plane slow axis forming an angle of about 45° with an absorption axis of the first polarizer; the second birefringent layer has an in-plane slow axis substantially orthogonal to the in-plane slow axis of the first birefringent layer; the second polarizer has an absorption axis substantially orthogonal to the absorption axis of the first polarizer; and the LC cell displays a black screen by aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer substantially vertically to the substrate surface, characterized in that the birefringent layer has an in-plane fast axis substantially orthogonal to the absorption axis of the second polarizer, and the liquid crystal display device satisfies the following formulae to: 1.0 ≤ Nzq ≤ 2.9 169 nm × Nzq - 81 nm - 30 nm ≤ R 1 c + R 3 R 1 c + R 3 ≤ 169 nm × Nzq - 81 nm + 30 nm where the Nz coefficient of each of the first and second birefringent layers (320, 340) is defined as Nzq; a thickness-direction retardation of the liquid crystal cell in a black state is defined as Rlc; a sum of a thickness-direction retardation of the at least one birefringent layer disposed between the first birefringent layer and the second birefringent layer is defined as R3.