A white light source has an excitation light source and a white light emitting element provided at a position which allows the transmission of light from the excitation light source to generate white light through irradiation with the light from the excitation light source. The white light emitting element has a sapphire substrate made of sapphire or the like which transmits visible light, an InGaAlN semiconductor layer formed on a surface of the sapphire substrate to emit red light through irradiation with visible light, and a fluorescent layer formed on the surface opposite to the surface provided with the semiconductor layer to emit yellow light or green light through irradiation with visible light.