A nitride semiconductor light emitting element is provided with: a substrate 11 having a pair of main surfaces that face each other; a nitride semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type layered on one of the main surfaces of substrate 11; a nitride semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type layered on the nitride semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type; an active layer 14 formed between the nitride semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type and the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type; and a reflective layer 16 formed on the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type for reflecting light from active layer 14 toward the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type. This nitride semiconductor light emitting element can be mounted on a circuit board, with the other main surface of the above described substrate 11 being used as the main light emitting surface. Furthermore, a translucent conductive layer 17 is formed between reflective layer 16 and the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, and an uneven interface 22 is formed as the interface between translucent conductive layer 17 and reflective layer 16.