Provided is a semiconductor optical device, which has a buried heterostructure structure and is formed in a structure capable of reducing a parasitic capacitance to further improve characteristics thereof, and also provided are an optical transmitter module, an optical transceiver module, and an optical transmission equipment. The semiconductor optical device includes a modulator portion for modulating light input along an emitting direction and radiating the modulated light, the modulator portion including: a mesa-stripe structure, which includes an active layer and extends in the emitting direction; and a buried layer provided adjacent to each side of the mesa-stripe structure, in which a distance between a lower surface of the buried layer and a lower surface of the active layer is 20% or more of a distance between the lower surface and an upper surface of the buried layer.