Objective To investigate the effect of miR-214 on the invasive capacity of esophageal squamous carcinoma cell line Eca109, and to explore the possible molecular mechanism. Methods We prepared miR-214 double-stranded mimic and transfected it into Eca109 cells with Lipofectamine 2000. Eca109 cells transfected with nonsense miRNA mimics were taken as control. The expression of mature miR-214 was determined by qPCR. The capacity of cell invasion was determined by Matrigel-coated Transwell assay. E-cadherin protein expression and the percentage of E-cadherin positive cells were examined by Western blotting analysis and flow cytometry, respectively. Results The expression level of mature miR-214 in the miR-214 mimic transfection group was significantly higher than that in the control group 48 h after transfection (P<0.01). Eca109 cells transfected with miR-214 mimic showed a significantly lower cell invasive capacity compared to that of cells transfected with control miRNA mimic (P<0.05). Moreover, E-cadherin protein expression and the ratio of E-cadherin positive cells in miR-214 mimic transfection group were both significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Our data suggest that miR-214 may inhibit the invasive capacity of esophageal squamous carcinoma cells by repressing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.