PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce an aromatic sulfur compound in high yield and high purity by a simple operation by reacting an aromatic halogen compound with a specified alkali metal hydrocarbylmercaptide, and degrading the obtained compound with a protonic acid. SOLUTION: An aromatic halogen compound of the formula Yn-Ar-Xm (Ar is an aromatic hydrocarbon residue; X is a halogen bonded to the carbon atom in the aromatic ring of Ar; Y is a halogen, nitro or the like bonded to the carbon atom in the aromatic ring of Ar; m is >=1; n is >=0) is reacted with in alkali metal hydrocarbylmercaptide of formula I (R1 to R3 are each an alkyl or an aryl; M is an alkali metal) and/or a hydrocarbylmercaptane of formula II, and an alkali metal, its hydroxide, carbonate, hydride or alkoxide, in the presence of a nonprotonic polar solvent to provide aromatic thioethers of formula III, and the thioethers are reacted with a protonic acid to provide the objective aromatic thiols of the formula Yn-Ar-(SH)m.