Provided is a cutting tool which ensures a long tool life even if the cutting conditions require wear resistance and peel resistance in wet cutting. The cutting tool such as a throw-away tip (1) consists of a substrate (2), and a coating layer (9) composed of a nitride or a carbonitride containing Ti and Al and covering the surface of the substrate (2). The thickness of the coating layer (9) on the flank face (4) is 3-9 [mu]m, and a value p which represents the ratio I(400)/I(311), i.e., a ratio of the diffraction intensity I(400) of the (400) face to the diffraction intensity I(311) of the (311) face for the thin film X ray diffraction peak of the Cu-Ka ray is larger on the outer surface side than the value P on the substrate (2) side.