An optical characteristic measuring apparatus includes an optical system, a detector, and an analysis unit. The optical system collects detection light incident from a sample. The detector spectrally disperses the detection light in plural times to generate plural pieces of detection data, the plural pieces of detection data indicating their respective spectra of detection light incident from the sample to the optical system with an optical distance between the sample and the optical system being different from each other. The analysis unit analyzes the spectrum indicated by the detection data to measure a predetermined optical characteristic of the sample. The analysis unit specifies a piece of the detection data to be used for measuring the optical characteristic based on intensity of the detection light in the plural pieces of detection data, and measures the optical characteristic based on the specified piece of the detection data.