PURPOSE: To provide a retrofocus type projecting lens for a liquid crystal projector composed of five elements of lenses having an F-number of ≥5.6, a half angle of view of about 19 to 24, and a back focal length of about 1.5 times the focal length.

CONSTITUTION: A first lens group G1 having a negative refracting power has a negative meniscus lens L1 convex to a large conjugation side, a second lens group G2 having a positive refracting power has a biconvex positive lens L2 and a third lens group G3 having the positive refracting power has a biconcave negative lens L3, a positive meniscus lens L4 convex to a small conjugation side and a biconvex positive lens L5. This retrofocus type projecting lens satisfies the conditions 0.25<D1/f<0.55, 0.05<f2/f3<0.4 and 0.8<f1/f<1.2 when the air spacing between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 is defined as D1 and the focal lengths of the first lens group G1, the second lens group G2, the third lens group G3 and the entire lens system are respective defined as f1, f2, f3, f.