miRNA-27a-3p is an important regulator of carcinogenesis and other pathological processes. However, its role in laryngeal carcinoma is still unknown. In our previous research, we found that miR-27a-3p expression was upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using a microarray chip. In the present study, we identified miR-27a-3p as an endogenous promoter of metastatic invasion. The expression levels of miR-27a-3p were correlated with human metastatic progression outcomes and Kaplan-Meier survival. In silico database analyses revealed that Mapk10 is a potential target of miR-27a-3p, and luciferase reporter assay results revealed that miR-27a-3p directly inhibits the Mapk10 3' untranslated region (3'UTR). Real-time PCR and western blotting results ascertained that Mapk10 expression was regulated by miR‑27a-3p. In addition, miR‑27a-3p gain-of-function promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion in 5-8 F NPC cells. These effects partially depended on Mapk10, and loss of miR‑27a-3p function had the opposite effects.