nihongo no kyouzai ha muzukasisou ni miemasu ga, tukatte miru to omotta hodo muzukasiku arimasen.

It means Japanese-language teaching materials or materials for studying Japanese, depending on context.

• 日本語 = Japanese language
• 教材 = teaching material, learning material, textbook material

So 日本語の教材 is most naturally understood as Japanese study materials.

It does not usually mean just materials that happen to be written in Japanese. The stronger implication is that they are materials related to learning Japanese.

The particle の connects nouns and shows a relationship between them.

In 日本語の教材, の links:

• 日本語 → Japanese language
• 教材 → teaching materials

So the basic idea is materials of/for Japanese.

This use of の is very common in Japanese. It can show:

• possession
• category
• purpose
• description

Here it is showing what kind of materials they are: Japanese-learning materials.

難しい means difficult.

難しそう means looks difficult or seems difficult.

This 〜そう form is used when something appears to be a certain way based on what you see or perceive.

How it is formed:

• 難しい
• remove the final い
• add そう
• → 難しそう

So:

• 難しい = is difficult
• 難しそう = looks difficult

The sentence is saying the materials appear difficult at first, not that they actually are.

Both are possible, but they are slightly different.

• 難しそうです = it seems difficult
• 難しそうに見えます = it looks difficult

見えます focuses more on how it appears visually or outwardly.

The structure is:

• 難しそう = difficult-looking
• に = turns it into an adverb-like form
• 見えます = appears / looks

So 難しそうに見えます literally means something like: It appears in a difficult-looking way.

This sounds a little more descriptive than just 難しそうです.

Because 見えます is a verb, and 難しそう needs to connect to it adverbially.

So:

• 難しそう = difficult-looking
• 難しそうに = in a difficult-looking way
• 難しそうに見えます = looks difficult

This is a common pattern:

• 元気そうに見える = looks healthy
• 楽しそうに話す = speak in a way that looks happy/fun
• おいしそうに食べる = eat in a way that looks delicious/appetizing

Here が means but.

The sentence has two contrasting parts:

• 日本語の教材は難しそうに見えますが、 = Japanese study materials look difficult, but...
• 使ってみると思ったほど難しくありません。 = when you try using them, they are not as difficult as you thought.

So が is connecting the two ideas and showing contrast.

In polite written or spoken Japanese, が is a very common way to say but. It often sounds a bit softer than a direct contradiction in English.

Yes, it comes from 見る (to see), but in this grammar pattern it has a different meaning.

〜てみる means:

• to try doing
• to do something and see what happens

So:

• 使う = to use
• 使ってみる = to try using

This is one of the most important Japanese grammar patterns.

Examples:

• 食べてみる = try eating
• 読んでみる = try reading
• 話してみる = try speaking

In your sentence, 使ってみる means to actually try using the materials.

Here と means something like when or once.

So:

• 使ってみると = when you try using them / once you try using them

This と often introduces a result or discovery that naturally follows.

So the sentence suggests:

1. You try using the materials.
2. Then you discover they are not that difficult.

A natural English translation is: But when you try using them, they are not as difficult as...

They are similar, but not exactly the same.

• 使ってみると often sounds a bit more like when I tried it, I found that...
• 使ってみたら can also mean when I tried it..., but it is often a little more conversational and flexible

In this sentence, 使ってみると works well because it introduces a natural result or realization: When you try using them, you find that...

So yes, they are close in meaning here, but 〜と has a slightly stronger feel of a natural consequence or discovery.

思ったほど means as much as I thought or as ... as I expected.

Breakdown:

• 思った = thought
• ほど = to the extent of / as much as

So:

• 思ったほど難しくありません = it is not difficult to the extent that I thought = it is not as difficult as I thought

This is a very common pattern:

• 思ったほど高くない = not as expensive as I thought
• 見たほど怖くない = not as scary as it looked
• 予想したほど大変ではない = not as hard as I expected

Because the speaker is comparing reality now with what they thought before.

So the timeline is:

1. First impression: It looks difficult
2. Earlier expectation: I thought it would be very difficult
3. Later discovery: Actually, it is not that difficult

That is why 思った is past tense: it refers to the speaker’s earlier expectation.

Because 難しい is an い-adjective, and い-adjectives form negatives by changing the final い to く before adding ない or ありません.

So:

• 難しい = difficult
• 難しくない = not difficult
• 難しくありません = not difficult (polite)

This is the standard pattern:

• 高い → 高くない / 高くありません
• 新しい → 新しくない / 新しくありません

So 難しいありません is not correct Japanese.

は marks 日本語の教材 as the topic.

So the sentence is basically saying: As for Japanese study materials, they look difficult, but...

This does not necessarily mean strong contrast by itself, but it sets the topic clearly. It also sounds natural because the rest of the sentence is describing those materials.

It can be either. Japanese nouns usually do not mark singular/plural the way English does.

So 教材 could mean:

• a teaching material
• teaching materials
• study material
• study materials

In this sentence, English would most naturally translate it as materials because that sounds more natural in context: Japanese study materials look difficult...

But the Japanese itself does not force singular or plural.

Yes, the subject is omitted because Japanese often leaves it out when it is clear from context.

The sentence strongly implies the viewpoint of the speaker, so:

• 思った probably means I thought
• 使ってみると could mean when you try using them in a general sense, or when I tried using them depending on context

Japanese often allows this kind of ambiguity, and English translations choose the most natural wording based on context.

The nuance is:

At first glance, Japanese study materials seem hard, but actual experience shows they are easier than expected.

It contrasts:

• appearance: 難しそうに見えます
• reality after trying: 思ったほど難しくありません

So it has a reassuring tone. It suggests: Don’t be intimidated by first impressions.