PURPOSE: To obtain a thin film moisture sensitive element characterized by excellent resistance against temperature, chemical and the like, high sensitivity and high-speed response by using a dielectric film comprising a metal oxide film or metal nitride film and a polyimide-based thin film having a specified thickness or less.

CONSTITUTION: In a thin film moisture sensitive element, metal, a moisture sensitive film and metal are formed on an insulating substrate IS in this order. The moisture sensitive film is a dielectric film formed by laminating a metal oxide film or a metal nitride film having the thickness of 2,000 or less and a polyimide-based thin film having the thickness of 1,000 in this order. It is preferable that the thickness of the polyimide-based thin film is 1,000 or less, more preferably 500 or less, so that the desorption of moisture in the entire thin film readily occurs. The polyimide-based thin film on the metal oxide film or the metal nitride film having the thickness of 2,000 or less has high dielectric strength.