Patent ID: 7443475

Claim:
A liquid crystal display apparatus, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate provided so as to face the first substrate; a vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a plurality of pixel areas each including a first electrode provided on the first substrate, a second electrode provided on the second substrate, and the liquid crystal layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode; wherein: the first electrode includes at least two openings and at least one cut-out portion provided at prescribed positions; the liquid crystal layer, when being provided with at least a prescribed voltage, forms at least two liquid crystal domains each exhibiting a radially inclined orientation, and a central axis of the radially inclined orientation of each of the at least two liquid crystal domains is formed in the at least two openings or in the vicinity thereof; wherein a plurality of said cut-out portions are provided in the first electrode, the cut-out portions being located at edge portions of the first electrode so that the cut-out portions extend inwardly from a periphery of the first electrode, and wherein the openings are offset from the cut-out portions in the first electrode when viewed from above so that an imaginary line extending between first and second opposed cut-out portions on opposite sides of the first electrode will not pass through any opening in the first electrode.