A light emitting element includes: a sapphire substrate having a front surface and a rear surface opposite the front surface; a first conductive type semiconductor layer stacked on the front surface of the sapphire substrate; a light emitting layer stacked on the first conductive type semiconductor layer; a second conductive type semiconductor layer stacked on the light emitting layer; a reflective layer which contains Ag and is disposed on the rear surface of the sapphire substrate, the reflective layer reflecting light from the sapphire substrate toward the front surface of the sapphire substrate; and an adhesive layer which is interposed between the sapphire substrate and the reflective layer and is made of ITO, the adhesive layer being adhered to the reflective layer.