An apparatus and a method for recognizing a hand shape by using a finger pattern are disclosed. The throughput of data used to recognize a hand shape is reduced and the hand shape can be quickly recognized by setting in advance a finger pattern in accordance with one or more hand shapes, calculating edges for each pixel line of an input image, detecting finger feature data by using a preset feature reference value, detecting a finger candidate pattern by using the detected finger feature data, and recognizing a hand shape corresponding to a finger pattern that matches the detected finger candidate pattern.