CHARACTER STRING SEGMENTING METHOD

PURPOSE: To provide a character string segmenting method capable of accurately and efficiently extracting a certain character string even when plural character strings concentrically exist. CONSTITUTION: In the character string segmenting method, character candidates are extracted from an input picture (24), two extracted character candidates e.g. are combined to prepare a partial character string to be a constitutional element of a character string (26), a character string candidate is prepared only by combining plural prepared partial, character strings (28), a character string is determined from plural prepared character string candiates (30). Preferably a character string candidate is prepared only when one character candidate is superposed between partial character strings to be combined or between a partial character string and already prepared character string candidate.