A raion (or rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries (such as part of an oblast). The term, which is from French "rayon" (meaning "honeycomb, department"), describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district". The term "raion" also can be used simply as a second degree of administrative division without anything to do with ethnicity or nationality. A raion is usually an administrative entity as subdivided two steps below the national level. However, in smaller countries, it could be the primary level of administrative division.
The word "raion" (or "rayon") is often used in translated form: Russian and Ukrainian: райо́н, Azerbaijani: rayon; Belarusian: раён; Georgian: რაიონი, raioni; Latvian: rajons; Lithuanian: rajonas; Romanian: raion.