Provided is a high strength steel sheet that has a predetermined chemical composition and is manufactured under optimum conditions, the high strength steel sheet having a steel microstructure including, by area, ferrite: 30% or more and 80% or less, martensite: 5% or more and 35% or less, and retained austenite: 8% or more, wherein the quotient of the area fraction of grains of the retained austenite, the grains having an aspect ratio of 2.0 or more and a minor axis length of 1 μm or less, divided by the total area fraction of the retained austenite is 0.3 or more, wherein the quotient of the average Mn content (mass %) in the retained austenite divided by the average Mn content (mass %) in the ferrite is 1.5 or more.