Representing the human eye. Compare the Chinese character 目. The hieroglyph was given a somewhat elongated appearance with the iris partly covered by the upper lid. The surroundings and iris were generally colored black, while the corners were colored red. The phonogrammatic value of jr is derived by the rebus principle from the glyph’s use as the logogram for jrt(“eye”).
Gardiner, Alan (1957) Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs, third edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 450
Henry George Fischer (1988) Ancient Egyptian Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Hieroglyphs, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, →ISBN, page 18
Betrò, Maria Carmela (1995) Geroglifici: 580 Segni per Capire l'Antico Egitto, Milan: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., →ISBN