A liquid crystal display has a light guide plate having a light-emitting plane on its one end surface, a light source arranged on a side surface of the light guide plate, and a liquid crystal panel arranged opposite the light-emitting plane of the light guide plate. Deflection patterns are formed on a surface opposite the light-emitting plane of the light guide plate, and the deflection patterns are arranged so that two independent components on the surface opposite the light-emitting plane of the light guide plate are random. In a certain region on the surface opposite the light-emitting plane, when an average value of the number of the deflection patterns included in each region opposite each pixel of the liquid crystal panel is designated by .mu.n and a standard deviation is designated by on, their ratio satisfies the relationship: 0<.sigma.n/.mu.n.ltoreq.0.154. Light from the light source introduced into the light guide plate is deflected towards the light-emitting plane by the deflection patterns so as to be emitted from the light-emitting plane. The liquid crystal panel is illuminated by the light emitted from the light-emitting plane.