ichidan verb, transitive verb
comb down; smooth down
Used for pressing hair or fur flat with a comb or hand, often in a downward motion.
寝ぐせを撫で付ける。
I smooth down my bed hair.
犬の毛を手で撫で付けた。
I smoothed down the dog's fur with my hand.
Standard kanji spelling.
Common mixed kanji-kana spelling.
撫でる means to stroke or caress gently, while 撫で付ける specifically means to press and smooth something down.
Compound of 撫でる (to stroke) and 付ける (to attach, apply), literally 'stroke-attach', referring to the action of smoothing something down by stroking.