Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease with a high disability rate. With the increase in the obesity rate and an aging patient population, OA is having more and more negative impacts on peoples' lives and social resources. With the development of high-throughput technology, the study of non-coding RNA has gradually become a hot spot in the field of OA. Recent studies have shown that chondrocyte apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation are the main pathological bases of OA. Non-coding RNA is closely related to chondrocytes, but the molecular mechanism has not been fully clarified. This article reviews the effects of non-coding RNA on chondrocytes and the extracellular matrix to further understand the mechanisms of cartilage degeneration and provide new ideas for the early diagnosis and treatment of OA.