Objective The aim of this study is to review the relationship between microRNA (miR)-200a and the proliferation, metastasis, and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on the previous relevant studies. Methods A systematic literature search was performed to identify the related studies. We summarized the expression level of miR-200a in HCC, its roles and mechanisms in proliferation, metastasis, and prognosis of HCC. Results The expressions of miR-200a were down-regulated in HCC tissue, cell, and patients’ serum. The normal expression or the overexpression of miR-200a could significantly inhibite the proliferation, invision, and metastasis of HCC. Moreover, the differentially expressed miR-200a in the tumor tissue or the patient’ serum was potentially valuable for the early diagnosis and prognostic predicting of HCC. Although there had been many advances on miR-200a in HCC, only a few biological functions had been identified. The underlying regulating mechanisms and more targeted genes of miR-200a still needed to be further studied. Conclusion miR-200a not only has an inhibitory effect on the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of HCC, but also has a certain clinical application value in the early diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.