The invention discloses an initial alignment method for an MEMS-IMU. Through the initial alignment method, the initial rough alignment time of a strapdown inertial system is further shortened, and the precision of the strapdown inertial system is further improved. The initial alignment method comprises the following steps that 1, sensor data are acquired, wherein the sensor data comprise the data of an MEMS gyroscope and an MEMS accelerometer; 2, initial alignment coordinate systems are established, wherein the initial alignment coordinate systems comprise the solidified carrier coordinate system, the earth coordinate system, the navigation coordinate system and the carrier coordinate system; 3, initial alignment objective functions are established, and an optimal speed reducing method of quick alignment is constructed; 4, a parameter equation of the optimal speed reducing method is determined through the complementary filter principle; 5, a carrier attitude angle is resolved through an quaternion updating algorithm, and calculation of an initial attitude matrix is achieved. According to the initial alignment method for the MEMS-IMU, the calculation precision and efficiency of an initial alignment algorithm are effectively improved, and the application range is wide.