PURPOSE: To extend the reading object, by recognizing a font of an input character pattern, forming and using a dictionary most suitable for the font, and reading a form where plural fonts exist in mixture at high speed and high accuracy.

CONSTITUTION: Character on a document is scanned at a scanning section 1 with a start signal from a control section 11, a binary signal is given to pattern memory sections 2, 2' respectively and a binary-coded pattern of the input character is stored. Further, the start signal is given to a recognition characteristic extraction section 3 and a font characteristic extraction section 4, the memory section 2 is scanned at the extracting section 3, and an effective recognizing characteristic is given to a character recognizing section 10. The extracting section 4 scans the memory section 2' in parallel with this processing and the characteristic inherent to the font is given to a font recognizing section 5. The threshold value of the font characteristic reserved at a font discrimination dictionary section 6 is compared with the inputted font value, and the name of font of the character pattern is applied to a dictionary conversion section 7. Further, standard discriminating dictionary section 8 and a discriminating dictionary section 9 are used and the character is discriminated at a discrimination section 10.