To provide a nitride semiconductor optical element with excellent productivity and light emission characteristic by enhancing the adherence among metallic bumps, electrodes, and nitride semiconductor layers and efficiently manufacturing the metallic bumps while uniformly maintaining the light emission characteristic.

The flip-chip type nitride semiconductor optical element includes: the n-type and p-type nitride semiconductor layers layered on a substrate, the positive electrode almost spread on the p-type nitride semiconductor layer, and the negative electrode formed on the n-type nitride semiconductor layer exposed by removing the p-type nitride semiconductor layer. At least either of the positive and negative electrodes is configured by two metallic layers or more, and a metal with greater ductility than that of a metal configuring the metallic bumps is employed for the first metallic layer in contact with the nitride semiconductor layer and the second metallic layer in contact with the metallic bumps.