PURPOSE: To obtain a humidity sensitive element with low resistance, a stable resistance even without heating, an improved aging characteristic, and a small humidity hysteresis by using a metal oxide sintered object with a specific composition.

CONSTITUTION: A pair of comb-type electrodes 2 and 3 which consist of platinum, gold, etc., are formed on a surface of an inorganic insulation substrate 1 which consists of alumina, glass, etc., by printing, etc. After a metal oxide paste where a binder is added to a metal oxide powder with the following composition is printed on a surface of the electrodes 2 and 3, it is sintered and a sintered body 4 is formed and lead terminals 5 and 6 are mounted to the electrodes 2 and 3, thus obtaining a humidity sensitive element. A composition of the metal oxide is ZnO 49-30mol.%, Cr2O3 49-30mol.%, Li2O 0.5-10mol.%, V2O5 0.5-10mol.%, and M3O4 1-20mol.%, after conversion to ZnO, Cr2O3, Li2O, V2O5, and M3O4 (however, M in M3O4 is Fe, Co, Ni, Pb, Ru, Ph, Os, and Ir).