MicroRNAs have emerged as crucial regulators of tumorigenesis. However, it remains unknown whether miR-181a is involved in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. In this study, we found that miR-181a is overexpressed in human gastric cancer tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-181a mimic promoted the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion and inhibited the apoptosis of SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells, whereas ectopic expression of miR-181a inhibitor inhibited the malignant phenotypes of SGC-7901 cells. Site-directed mutagenesis and luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-181a repressed KLF6 expression by targeting its 3'-UTR. Western blot analysis further showed that KLF6 protein was significantly decreased or increased when miR-181a mimic or inhibitor was transfected into SGC-7901 cells, respectively. In summary, these data suggest that KLF6 gene is a direct target of miR-181a and miR-181a functions as an oncomir in gastric cancer by repressing the expression of tumor suppressor KLF6.