PURPOSE: To accurately recognize a character desired by an inputting person by specifying a recognition object by the unit of a character class in addition to specifying by the unit of the character at the time of recognizing a handwritten character.

CONSTITUTION: At the time of recognition-processing a handwritten character, a routine specifying a recognition object character is executed and when a character class key for specifying the recognition object character is pressed, a character class menu is displayed to receive the specification of the character class (C1, C2). When a setting key is pressed at this time, the specified character class is set to be the recognition object (C4, C5). When a detail setting key is pressed, a character selection menu is displayed to receive the specification of the character in the limit of the specified character class. When the setting key is pressed at this time, the specified character is set to be the recognition object but when a character in a document displayed in a document area is selected and if the character is not the recognition object character, the character is added as the recognition object character (C3, C15 to C17).