Interest in copper nanoparticles has increased as an alternative for substituting silver nanoparticles because of its lower cost and less electromigration effect than silver. In this paper, the recent research trends and main results in wet-chemical synthesis of sub-100 nm Cu nanoparticles were summarized. The characteristics of synthesis were discussed with a classification such as modified polyol synthesis, modified hydrothermal synthesis, solvothermal synthesis, and the others, focussing on effects of capping agents, reductants, and pH. Information on the oxidation of synthesized copper nanoparticles were additionally commented.