Character generating method and apparatus

A character generating method and apparatus which arrange a plurality of partial patterns constituting a character to the start positions of the partial patterns to generate a character pattern. A memory of the apparatus stores origin position data of the partial patterns firstly in a partial-pattern coordinate system, set by a character coordinate system, start position data of basic patterns in the partial-pattern coordinate system and shape data of the basic patterns. The origin position data of those individual partial patterns which constitute a desired character pattern and the start position data of those basic patterns which constitute the partial patterns are read out from the memory and the absolute start positions of the basic patterns are computed from the read origin position data and start position data in a character generating circuit of the apparatus, and the basic patterns, defined by the shape data, at the respective absolute start positions are arranged to generate the desired character pattern. The memory of the character generating apparatus is formed by a common file for storing origin position data of the partial patterns in a partial-pattern coordinate system, set by a character coordinate system, and start position data of the basic patterns in the partial-pattern coordinate system, and an individual file for storing shape data of the basic patterns.