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 outline of the eye was generally black; the sclera was white; the iris was often red (sometimes with a black pupil), but sometimes black. 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