Provided is an optical unit provided with a movable body having an
optical module, a fixed body for holding the movable body, and a drive mechanism for rotating the movable body with respect to the fixed body so as to tilt the
optical axis of the
optical module, the optical unit being capable of rotating the movable body with respect to the fixed body even if the rotation angle of the movable body with respect to the fixed body becomes large. The
optical module can ensure the driving force of the driving mechanism, and can be miniaturized in the
optical axis direction of the optical module. In the optical unit, the drive mechanism includes a drive
magnet attached to the movable body and a drive coil attached to the fixed body, and when the optical module is disposed at a predetermined reference position, the drive
magnet and the drive coil face each other in a direction orthogonal to the
optical axis direction of the optical module. The driving
magnet is magnetized in the optical axis direction, and the magnetic pole of one surface of the driving magnet in the optical axis direction is different from the magnetic pole of the other surface of the driving magnet in the optical axis direction.