An apparatus for recognizing characters includes a text structure analyzing unit that analyzes an input image of text composed of mixed typed and handwritten characters and separates the input text image into predefined text imaging regions, a character clipping unit that clips characters one by one in each of the text imaging regions separated by the text structure analyzing unit, a feature vectors calculating unit that calculates feature vectors of the clipped characters for each of the text imaging regions, a feature vectors aggregating unit that aggregates the calculated feature vectors over a predefined range of the input text image, and a typed and handwritten character separation unit that separates characters involved in the input text image into the typed characters and the handwritten characters, based on a result of the aggregation by the feature vectors aggregating unit.