An apparatus for expanding a character string. The character string that is entered to search includes a character string dividing device to divide the entered character string into partial character strings. A referencing device is provided to reference a similarity table. The similarity table stores in advance similar partial character strings, each of the similar partial character strings being derived from each of the partial character strings by changing at least one of the characters of each string to a different character which is similar in shape. An expansion device is provided to combine similar partial character strings into expanded words and store them in table.