Proto-Altaic: *nuŋu
Meaning: chief, master
Russian meaning: главный, хозяин
Comments: A problematic case. The original meaning may be reconstructed as "main direction" (whence "direction, point of the compass" in Old Turkic and "main riverbed, stem" in TM), with a development > "chief, master" in Jpn. However, Jpn. nusi may belong here only if -si is an original attributive suffix (*nu-si < *nuŋ-si). There is also a very similar root *ńi̯ūnŋe meaning 'direction, sign', with ample opportunity for contaminations - which in fact almost certainly occurred in TM.
