A water-absorbent sheet structure (10) including a structure in which an absorbent layer (13) containing a water-absorbent resin (12) and an adhesive (11) is sandwiched with nonwoven fabrics from an upper side and a lower side of the absorbent layer, the water-absorbent sheet structure (10) comprising (1) an upper nonwoven fabric (14) which is a water-permeable nonwoven fabric having a water permeation rate of 10 s or less and (2) a lower nonwoven fabric (15) which is a water-retaining nonwoven fabric having an amount of water absorbed of 250 g/m2 or more. The water-absorbent sheet structure (10) of the present invention is thin and is capable of sufficiently exhibiting water-absorbent capacities such as fast liquid permeability, a small amount of liquid re-wet, and a small amount of liquid leakage. Therefore, the water-absorbent sheet structure (10) according to the present invention is used for an absorbent material, whereby hygienic materials which are thin and have excellent body fittability can be provided.