In the nitride based semiconductor optical device LE1, the strained well layers 21 extend along a reference plane SR1 tilting at a tilt angle α from the plane that is orthogonal to a reference axis extending in the direction of the c-axis. The tilt angle α is in the range of greater than 59 degrees to less than 80 degrees or greater than 150 degrees to less than 180 degrees. A gallium nitride based semiconductor layer P is adjacent to a light-emitting layer SP− with a negative piezoelectric field and has a band gap larger than that of a barrier layer. The direction of the piezoelectric field in the well layer W3 is directed in a direction from the n-type layer to the p-type layer, and the piezoelectric field in the gallium nitride based semiconductor layer P is directed in a direction from the p-type layer to the n-type layer. Consequently, the valence band, not the conduction band, has a dip at the interface between the light-emitting layer SP− and the gallium nitride based semiconductor layer P.