The present invention provides a polarizing member constituted by, at least, a cholesteric liquid-crystal layer (1), a quarter-wave plate (2), and an optical rotatory layer (3). By the polarizing member according to the present invention, the plane of polarization of light linearly polarized by a combination of the cholesteric liquid-crystal layer and the quarter-wave plate are rotated by the optical rotatory layer so that the linearly polarized light is supplied to an absorption type polarizer (4) with good coincidence between the plane of polarization of the linearly polarized light and the axis of polarization of the absorption type polarizer. Thus, there can be obtained a liquid-crystal display device which has luminance improved by prevention of absorption loss and is excellent in display quality. That is, in a liquid-crystal display device improved in luminance by use of a cholesteric liquid-crystal layer, coloring can be suppressed evenly in all obliquely viewing azimuths while good viewing characteristic can be achieved in a frontal direction.