A video encoding apparatus, comprising: a predictor adapted to predict a current block to generate a predicted block; a subtractor adapted to subtract the predicted block from the current block to generate a residual block; a transformer and quantizer adapted to transform and quantize the residual block such as to yield a transformed and quantized residual block, in a frequency domain, that has a size larger than or equal to 8x8; and an encoder adapted to encode the transformed and quantized residual block, characterized in that the encoder encodes the transformed and quantized residual block by dividing the transformed and quantized residual block into a plurality of frequency regions which have an equal size of 4x4 and, encoding frequency coefficients in the transformed and quantized residual block by the unit of the frequency regions, by (i) encoding frequency region encoding information indicating whether a frequency region corresponding thereto has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, wherein the frequency region encoding information has a value of 1 when the frequency region has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient and has a value of 0 when the frequency region does not have at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, and (ii) only if the frequency region encoding information indicates that a frequency region corresponding thereto has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, scanning and encoding the frequency coefficients corresponding to the frequency region. a predictor adapted to predict a current block to generate a predicted block; a subtractor adapted to subtract the predicted block from the current block to generate a residual block; a transformer and quantizer adapted to transform and quantize the residual block such as to yield a transformed and quantized residual block, in a frequency domain, that has a size larger than or equal to 8x8; and an encoder adapted to encode the transformed and quantized residual block, characterized in that the encoder encodes the transformed and quantized residual block by dividing the transformed and quantized residual block into a plurality of frequency regions which have an equal size of 4x4 and, encoding frequency coefficients in the transformed and quantized residual block by the unit of the frequency regions, by (i) encoding frequency region encoding information indicating whether a frequency region corresponding thereto has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, wherein the frequency region encoding information has a value of 1 when the frequency region has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient and has a value of 0 when the frequency region does not have at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, and (ii) only if the frequency region encoding information indicates that a frequency region corresponding thereto has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, scanning and encoding the frequency coefficients corresponding to the frequency region. (i) encoding frequency region encoding information indicating whether a frequency region corresponding thereto has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, wherein the frequency region encoding information has a value of 1 when the frequency region has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient and has a value of 0 when the frequency region does not have at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, and (ii) only if the frequency region encoding information indicates that a frequency region corresponding thereto has at least one non-zero frequency coefficient, scanning and encoding the frequency coefficients corresponding to the frequency region. <EOS>