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What is the function of し here?

> 日本語を勉強し始めたきっかけ、そして日本語学習の目標は何ですか

How does it differ from

> 日本語を勉強始めたきっかけ、そして日本語学習の目標は何ですか
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2022-08-28T19:45:27.757
96029
2022-08-28T22:11:06.590
2022-08-28T22:11:06.590
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question
grammar compound-verbs
Noun + し (日本語を勉強し始めたきっかけ)
This し is the masu-stem (or continuative-form) of する. `masu-stem + 始める` means
"to start V-ing". For example, 食べ始める means "to start eating", 見始める means "to
start watching", and 運転し始める means "to start driving".

日本語を勉強始めたきっかけ is simply ungrammatical because 勉強 is not marked with a
particle, and を cannot be an omitted particle because を is already used before
勉強 (日本語を勉強をする is wrong).

  * [Difference Between べんきょう する and べんきょうを する](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/4006/5010)
  * [Jlpt/n5q5: 弟は部屋◯掃除をしました。◯: の versus に option](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/26120/5010)
  * [の or を？ What is the correct answer and why is it correct?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/44972/5010)

So here's the summary:

| without 始める | with 始める  
---|---|---  
勉強 as a suru-verb | 日本語を勉強する  
to study Japanese | 日本語を勉強し始める  
to start studying Japanese  
勉強 as a noun | 日本語の勉強をする  
to do study of Japanese | 日本語の勉強を始める  
to start study of Japanese
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2022-08-28T21:46:09.263
96033
2022-08-28T21:46:09.263
5010
96029
answer