The present invention provides a liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy whose absolute value is large, and a low viscosity, and also provides a VA type liquid crystal element using the same.Disclosed is a liquid crystal composition containing a compound represented by the general formula (I) and an alkenyl compound represented by the general formula (II): By combining the liquid compounds according to the present invention, a liquid crystal composition having a low viscosity and a negative dielectric anisotropy could be obtained while nearly maintaining physical properties such as refractive anisotropy. By using the composition, a liquid crystal element having excellent reliability, capable of maintaining a high voltage retention until a high temperature region, is provided, and the display is very applicable as a VA type, ECB type, or IPS type liquid crystal display, and is particularly effective for speeding up response without thinning cell gaps.