An object of the present invention is to provide magnesium oxide for an annealing separator which is useful for obtaining grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheets with excellent magnetic properties and insulating properties. To resolve the above object, an aspect of the present invention resides in magnesium oxide for an annealing separator which has an adhesion water content and a hydration water content each falling in the quadrilateral region defined by the following points a to d as the vertices in a graph representing the adhesion water content-hydration water content relationship: a: adhesion water content: 0.25 mass %, hydration water content: 0.1 mass % b: adhesion water content: 0.60 mass %, hydration water content: 0.1 mass % c: adhesion water content: 0.40 mass %, hydration water content: 6.0 mass % d: adhesion water content: 0.20 mass %, hydration water content: 6.0 mass %.