The invention relates to a method for preparing a key intermediate 4-methyl-5-ethoxazole of vitamin B6 and belongs to the technical field of crude drug preparation. The method for preparing 4-methyl-5-ethoxazole comprises the steps that firstly, 4-methyl-5-ethyoxyl-1,3-oxazole-2-nonanoic acid-ethyl ester, methylbenzene, drinking water and sodium hydroxide are sequentially put into a hydrolysis reaction still according to a certain proportion, and stirring, heat preservation and reacting are carried out; liquid separation is carried out, and the pH value of the water phase is adjusted to rangefrom 1.0 to 2.5; an organic solvent is added to the system obtained in the second step, reacting is carried out by controlling the temperature ranging from 30 DEG C to 50 DEG C until no carbon dioxideis generated; after decarboxylation is finished, the pH value is adjusted to be larger than or equal to 9.0, liquid separation is carried out, the organic phase is subjected to vacuum distillation, and 4-methyl-5-ethoxazole is obtained. The process is easy and safe to operate, and industrial production is easy.