A method of manufacturing a light emitting element includes providing a wafer having a substrate and a semiconductor layered body provided on an upper surface of the substrate, irradiating the substrate with laser light from a side of a lower surface opposite to the upper surface of the substrate to form modified regions in the substrate, and dividing the wafer into light emitting elements at the modified regions as a starting point. The semiconductor layered body includes a first p-type semiconductor layer made of a nitride semiconductor and provided on the upper surface of the substrate, an n-type semiconductor layer made of a nitride semiconductor and provided on the first p-type semiconductor layer, an active layer made of a nitride semiconductor and provided on the n-type semiconductor layer, and a second p-type semiconductor layer made of a nitride semiconductor and provided on the active layer.