A liquid for polishing metals, which is used in the chemical and/or mechanical flattening of a semiconductor device, the polishing liquid being characterized in that it comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of tetrazoles or triazoles represented by any one of the following general formulas (I) to (III):
wherein, Ra represents at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a sulfo, an amino, a phosphono, a carbamoyl, a carbamide, a sulfamoyl, and a sulfonamide group; Rb represents at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl, a carboxyl, a sulfo, an amino, a phosphono, a carbamoyl, a carbamide, a sulfamoyl, and a sulfonamide group; and Lb represents a divalent connecting group; and Rc and Rd each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent, and at least one of Rc and Rd represent a hydroxyl, a carboxyl, a sulfo, an amino, a phosphono, a carbamoyl, a carbamide, a sulfamoyl, and a sulfonamide group or a group: -La-Re; wherein La represents a divalent connecting group; Re represents a hydroxyl, a carboxyl, a sulfo, an amino, a phosphono, a carbamoyl, a carbamide, a sulfamoyl or a sulfonamide group; R and R′ each independently represent a group selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, alkyl groups and aryl groups; and R″ independently represents a group selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups and aryl groups.