Provided are a method and an apparatus for transmitting, on the basis of a repeating pattern, a synchronization signal in a wireless communication system. A base station divides a cell into multiple sectors and transmits multiple types of synchronization signals, which respectively correspond to the multiple sectors and have different repeating patterns, to a terminal through a system frame. The terminal performs detection of the multiple types of synchronization signals having the different repeating patterns and determines the position of the terminal within the cell according to the detected synchronization signals.