Kit Kats Became Exam Amulets

In Japan, Kit Kat became a good-luck snack for students because its Japanese pronunciation, "Kitto Katto," resembles "kitto katsu," meaning "you will surely win." The wordplay reportedly began in Kyushu and spread nationwide by 2002. Students began treating the chocolate bars as omamori, or amulets, during entrance exams, while parents wrote encouraging messages on the wrappers. By 2019, one in three Japanese students reportedly bought Kit Kats before entrance exams, and one in five carried them to the testing site.

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