The objective of the present invention is to provide a cell differentiation inducer which is a low-molecular compound, which can be chemically synthesized easily and which can efficiently induce a differentiation of an undifferentiated cell into a nervous system cell with high selectivity. In addition, the objective of the present invention is to provide use of a specific catechol derivative for efficiently inducing a differentiation of an undifferentiated cell into a nervous system cell with high selectivity, and a method for efficiently inducing a differentiation of an undifferentiated cell into a nervous system cell with high selectivity using a specific catechol derivative. The cell differentiation inducer of the present invention is characterized in comprising the catechol derivative having the specific chemical structure.
