PURPOSE: To enable pattern recognition from a color image and a monochromatic image which are inputted by dividing a color distribution according to color information in a color space as to a color image including patterns, generating binary images corresponding to respective colors, and recognizing patterns as to the respective binary images.

CONSTITUTION: An image input means 2 which inputs the color image including the patterns and a dividing means 3 which converts the input image into the color distribution in the color space and judges that respective divided areas obtained from the color space by color division are areas of the same colors. A binary image generating means 5 scans picture elements in the input image and converts the picture elements into the binary image consisting of 1 as picture elements matching a color judged to be the same color in the areas after the color division and 0 as other picture elements, binary image memories 6-1 to 6-n serve as storage means for the respective binary images, and a pattern recognizing means 7 recognizes the patterns in the image in order as to the respective binary images. Consequently, patterns of characters, symbols, etc., are read out of the color image having various pattern colors and background colors which are not fixed and the monochromatic image.