A quantum nanostructure semiconductor laser includes a strip-shaped ridge with a plurality of V-grooves formed on a compound semiconductor substrate in the direction of laser beam emission, with the V-grooves arrayed in parallel and with each V-groove extending orthogonally to the direction of laser beam emission. On the ridge, an optical waveguide is provided that includes a lower cladding layer, a plurality of quantum wires, and an upper cladding layer. The quantum wires are formed to a finite length corresponding to the stripe width of the laser beam, and are each located at a position corresponding to a V-groove location. The optical waveguide is trapezoidal in shape. The quantum wires do not project out beyond the width of the ridge, but the ends of the wires are converged and closed off with the upper and lower cladding layers toward higher index crystalline planes.