A hot rolled steel sheet having a chemical composition containing, by mass %, C: 0.04% or more and 0.20% or less, Si: 0.7% or more and 2.3% or less, Mn: 0.8% or more and 2.8% or less, P: 0.1% or less, S: 0.01% or less, Al: 0.1% or less, N: 0.008% or less, and the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. The microstructure of the hot rolled steel sheet includes ferrite and pearlites, in which the area ratio of the ferrite is 75% or more and less than 95%, the mean grain size of the ferrite is 5 μm or more and 25 μm or less, the area ratio of pearlite is 5% or more and less than 25%, the mean grain size of pearlite is 2.0 μm or more, and the mean free path of pearlite is 5 μm or more.