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I always get this two whenever I make a mistake. I think that more or less they are similar but kind of have the feeling that 突っ込まれる has a bit stronger meaning than 指摘される, is this correct?

For example,

 He pointed out my mistakes (rough translation, I'd think)

 彼に指摘された。
 彼に突っ込まれた。
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3 Answers

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You are right that they have similar meanings, but I think the connotations are different.

指摘 is very neutral; you are simply pointing out a fact, not making a value judgement.

突っ込む, on the other hand, has more of a connotation of pouncing on a weakness, especially one the other person was hoping would pass unnoticed. So you can point out a flaw in someone's story, a grammatical mistake--or, relatedly, a joke that the other person made with a straight face!

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I think this captures it best. 突っ込む has that "verbal jab" flavor to it, and it's often done to get a laugh at the expense of pointing out a flaw or misstep. – Derek Schaab Jun 1 '11 at 13:28
up vote 0 down vote

指摘　means "to point out" (ご指摘のとおりに。。。 - "As you pointed out/mentioned...")

突っ込む　means "to thrust/plunge into".

They don't seem really that similar to me. What scenarios do you run into with them that give you trouble?

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For example after a meeting I am told 突っ込まれたでしょう? meaning that I had some mistakes at the meeting and my colleagues pointed out those mistakes at me. – wallyqs Jun 1 '11 at 3:45
Hmm, I've never heard this usage before. Sounds similar to 注意される／しかられる ??? – istrasci Jun 1 '11 at 4:05
-1. 突っ込む has many other meanings besides "to thrust/plunge into". jisho.org/words?jap=%E7%AA%81%E3%81%A3%E8%BE%BC%E3%82%80 – Amanda S Jun 1 '11 at 4:13
@Amanda S - yes, I'm aware of that, but none of the other meanings seemed remotely confusable with 指摘. – istrasci Jun 1 '11 at 4:24
bit.ly/lowxFm might help. Definition 2-2: 相手の弱みなどを鋭く追及する, "to pointedly question/press at someone's weak point, etc." – Amanda S Jun 1 '11 at 6:00
up vote 2 down vote

指摘される looks more formal usage to me, like you got 指摘された by your manager, but 突っ込まれる is more frank, like your college に突っ込まれる because you did something not correct.

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