The invention provides an optical modulator wherein appearance of radiation mode light can be suppressed to improve performances as a device. The optical modulator includes a multiplexing waveguide which in turn includes two input waveguides to which propagation lights from a linear waveguide are inputted, a waveguide coupling element, and two output waveguides. The width of the waveguide coupling element on the input side is greater than the total width of the two input waveguides, and the width of the waveguide coupling element on the output side is greater than the total width of the two output waveguides. The device of the present invention is applied typically to an optical communication system.