The modifying effect of La addition on primary phase Mg2Si in Mg-5Si alloys was investigated. The results showed that a proper amount of La could effectively modify the primary phase Mg2Si. Based on the present experiment, the optimal modification effect was obtained with an addition of about 0.5 wt.% La. The size of the primary phase Mg2Si was considerably reduced to 25 μm or less and the morphology was modified from a coarse dendritic shape to a polyhedral shape. However, when the addition of La increased to 0.8 wt.% or higher, the primary Mg2Si grew into a coarse dendritic morphology again. Moreover, it was found that some LaSi2 compounds were formed during solidification and the amount of the compounds appeared to increase gradually with increasing La content.