To provide a leuco dye compound having high coloring property, a heat-sensitive recording material excellent in coloring property and a heat- sensitive recording material having good fastness of the coloring dye in addition to the coloring property.

This leuco dye compound is represented by the general formula (1) [wherein Ar1 and Ar2 are each independently an aryl group or a heterocyclic group; the ring A represents a cyclic structure having a function coloring the compound represented by the general formula (1) by contact with an acidic substance]. This heat-sensitive recording material is obtained by using the dye compound or the dye compound and a metallic compound.