Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although there are currently various therapeutic strategies including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, lung cancer still results in high mortality with a 5-year survival rate of less than 20%. The increasing need for new therapeutic targets and diagnostic/prognostic tools for lung cancer has promoted the demand for a better molecular and mechanistic understanding of its pathobiology. microRNA-30a-3p (miR-30a-3p) was recently recognized to be closely involved in the regulation of cancer cell invasion, migration and proliferation. However, the mechanistic role of miR-30a-3p in regulating the biological behavior of lung cancer, especially lung adenocarcinoma (LADC), is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to confirm the downregulation of miR-30a-3p in LADC tissues, and validate its functional impact on the pathogenesis of LADC via its molecular target, canopy fibroblast growth factor signaling regulator 2 (CNPY2), a known oncogene. Our data confirmed that CNPY2 was upregulated in LADC tissues, and the expression level of CNPY2 was correlated with the clinical outcomes of lung cancer patients. miR-30a-3p was confirmed as a key negative regulator of CNPY2 and reduced miR-30a-3p expression resulted in CNPY2 upregulation in LADC tissues. We then validated the functional outcome of miR-30a-3p in cancer pathobiology by the overexpression of miR-30a-3p in the LADC EKVX cell line. miR-30a-3p overexpression inhibited cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration, by suppressing CNPY2 expression. In addition, miR-30a-3p inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a key feature of LADC, via CNPY2 suppression. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-30a-3p exerts a novel inhibitory role in the pathogenesis of LADC via CNPY2 downregulation, and the miR-30a-3p/CNPY2 pathway is a potential therapeutic target for human LADC.