Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a detector which includes an image reading section of a digital copier and which chases outline information of an image pattern in a predetermined direction and thereby extracts outline points; an arithmetic operating circuit to respectively obtain outline tangential directions on the basis of the outline points; an extracting circuit to select a predetermined number of extraction points from the outline points; a coding circuit to sequentially obtain direction differences in the outline tangential directions on the basis of the extraction points and to code the direction differences; and a recognizing circuit to perform a non-linear matching between a code sequence coded by the coding circuit and a reference code sequence, thereby recognizing the image pattern. The coding circuit calculates the outline tangential directions using predetermined direction codes.