The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a liquid crystal cell having a liquid crystal layer including liquid crystal molecules having a positive dielectric anisotropy, and a pair of polarizers and at least one phase difference compensator that are provided outside the liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention displays an image in a normally black mode. A pair of electrodes provided so as to interpose the liquid crystal layer therebetween produce a transverse electric field component parallel to the plane of the liquid crystal layer in the presence of an applied voltage, and the orientation axis direction, which is defined by the azimuth angle of the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules near the center of the liquid crystal layer in the thickness direction thereof, is changed by the transverse electric field component.