An electroluminescent element which includes host materials and guest materials in a part of an electroluminescent layer. Device characteristics (luminous efficiency, luminous characteristics, or the like) of an electroluminescent element are improved by using host materials and guest materials which have a common skeleton (represented by the following general formula) for an electroluminescent layer interposed between a pair of electrodes in the electroluminescent element. In the common skeleton, X1 to X3, each of which may be the same or different, are individually a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an acyl group, a nitro group, a cyano group, an amino group, a dialkylamino group, a diarylamino group, a vinyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent.