This application provides a random access method and an apparatus. The method includes: receiving, by a terminal device, a broadcast signal; and sending, by the terminal device, a random access signal, where a preamble sequence in the random access signal includes K first symbols and Q second symbols, the first symbol and the second symbol are different from each other, K and Q are integers greater than or equal to 1, K+Q=NSEQ, and NSEQ is a quantity of symbols included in the preamble sequence.