A liquid absorbing body according to the present invention contains amorphous carbon and crystalline carbon particles dispersed in the amorphous carbon; the content of the crystalline carbon particles is from 60% by mass to 90% by mass based on the total mass of the amorphous carbon and the crystalline carbon particles; the degree of orientation as determined by a wide-angle X-ray scattering method is 75% or more; and the open porosity as determined in accordance with JIS R 1634 (1998) is 10% or more.