PURPOSE: To obtain a heat sensitive recording material good in heat responsiveness and image stability without necessitating a sensitizer, in the heat sensitive recording material using a leuco dye, by using a specific phenolic compound as a color developer.

CONSTITUTION: In a heat sensitive recording material formed by providing a leuco dye and a color developer on a support as a same coating layer or separate coating layers or in a thermal transfer type heat sensitive recording material containing the leuco dye in the transfer layer thereof and the color developer in the receiving layer thereof, as the color developer for developing the color of the leuco dye under heating, the phenolic substance shown by the general formula (wherein R shows an alkylene group containing 1W5 ether linkages) is used. The wt. ratio of the leuco dye and the phenolic substance is about 1:1W6. According to necessity, a usual color coupler may be tegether used and various kinds of binders and auxiliary additives can be further used.