Provided is a high-carbon steel wire which gives steel wires having high strength and has excellent suitability for wiredrawing and which after being wiredrawn, has excellent fatigue properties. The high-carbon steel wire has an adequately regulated chemical composition and has a pearlite structure in an areal proportion of 90% or more. In 2,000 μm2 of the pearlite structure, the number of BN compound grains having an equivalent-circle diameter of 100 nm or more but less than 1,000 nm is 100 or less (including 0) and the number of BN compound grains having an equivalent-circle diameter of 1,000 nm or more is 10 or less (including 0).