Provided is a tetraphenylbacteriochlorin derivative represented by the formula (I): ##STR1##

[wherein R¹, R², R³ and R⁴, independently from each other, are a residue of a monosaccharide represented by the formulae: ##STR2##

(wherein, R is a hydrogen or a protecting group)], or its salt. The tetraphenylbacteriochlorin derivative or its salt has a large molar extinction coefficient at long wavelengths which are expected to have a high tissue-penetrating property, and exhibits high selectivity to tumor cells and hydrophilicity.