Provided are a paste for preparing etching mask patterns and a manufacturing method of a silicon solar cell using the same. The paste composition for preparing mask patterns is used to form a selective emitter of a silicon solar cell, and includes inorganic powder, an organic solvent, a binder resin, and a plasticizer. The mask patterns prepared from the paste composition have good adhesion with a substrate, thereby preventing edge curling, and have good etching resistant characteristic in an etch-back process for forming a selective emitter, enabling formation of a stable emitter.