An ultrasonic observation apparatus includes: ultrasound probes a storage unit that stores, for each ultrasound probe, attenuation that is a difference in signal intensity for each frequency between a predetermined common waveform and a waveform obtained by providing the ultrasound probes with a common transmission drive wave a transmission drive wave generating unit that generates, for each ultrasound probe, a transmission drive wave obtained by adding the attenuation to the common transmission drive wave and a reception signal correcting unit that performs a correction for each frequency, by adding the attenuation to a reception signal which is obtained by transmitting to the specimen the transmission echo having the predetermined common waveform and by converting the reception echo reflected from the specimen, the transmission echo being obtained by converting the transmission drive wave that is given by adding the attenuation to the common transmission drive wave.