The present invention provides an efficient red fluorescent material and a method for producing the same, provides a white light source and an illuminating device each of which uses this red fluorescent material to achieve snow-white lighting, and furthermore provides a liquid crystal display having excellent color reproduction. The red fluorescent material contains an element A, europium, silicon, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, at an atomic ratio of the following composition formula (1), and, in a Photo Luminescence Excitation spectrum of the red fluorescent material, a relative value of a luminescence intensity of 550 nm excitation wavelength when a luminescence intensity of 400 nm excitation wavelength is defined as 1 is not more than 0.85 and not less than 0.55. [A(m-x)Eux][Si(9-y)Cy]OnN[12-2(n-m)/3] wherein element A is at least one selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium; and m, x, y, and n satisfy 3