An object is to provide a light emitting device capable of efficiently dissipating heat generated in a semiconductor light-emitting element. The light emitting device 1 for achieving this object is a device wherein a multilayer chip varistor 10 has a varistor element 11 having a varistor layer comprised essentially of ZnO, and a plurality of internal electrodes 101, 102 arranged to sandwich the varistor layer between the internal electrodes; and a plurality of external electrodes 103, 104 formed on an outer surface of the varistor element 11 and each connected to a corresponding internal electrode 101, 102; wherein a semiconductor light-emitting element 20 has an electroconductive substrate 202 of ZnO, and semiconductor layers 201, 203, 205 of ZnO formed by epitaxial growth on two surfaces of the electroconductive substrate 202; wherein the semiconductor light-emitting element 20 is placed on a principal surface 11a intersecting with the internal electrodes 101, 102 of the multilayer chip varistor 10; wherein the semiconductor layer 205 is fixed in face contact to the principal surface 11a.