A paper sheet recognition apparatus that recognizes a paper sheet based on optical characteristics of the paper sheet is proposed. The paper sheet recognition apparatus includes at least one light source that emits a light toward the paper sheet; a light-guiding member that receives any of reflected lights reflected from plural regions on the paper sheet and transmitted lights that have passed through plural regions on the paper sheet because of emission of the light on the paper sheet from the light source, condenses the received lights, and outputs the condensed light from a light outputting section; an optical processing unit that generates spectral distribution from the condensed light output from the light outputting section of the light-guiding member; and a recognition processing unit that recognizes the paper sheet based on a feature of the spectral distribution generated by the optical processing unit.