The terahertz induced optical birefringence in liquids with polar (acetone, chloroform) and nonpolar (benzene, carbon tetrachloride) molecules has been investigated. Fast and slow responses were extracted from the experimental data and compared with previous studies of the femtosecond optical Kerr effect. Terahertz Kerr constants were found and compared with known DC and optical constants. Analysis of the results obtained showed that, in contrast to the optical excitation, the interaction of a permanent dipole moment of molecules with a THz field makes a significant contribution to the transient birefringence and Kerr constants. This conclusion fully agrees with the direct comparison of the femtosecond optical and THz Kerr effects reported by Sajadi et al. [Nat. Commun. 8, 14963 (2017)].