How to find a simplified sinogram in a paper dictionary

Question

How can I find 龙 in a paper dictionary?

In the paper dictionary that I have, when I look for a sinogram (S):

1. I first need to guess what its key (K) is.
2. Then I have to find that key in the keys index. That gives me a number X.
3. Then I go the to the section X and look for the sinogram S which I eventually find. That gives me the pinyin of the sinogram (P).
4. In the end I can look for P in the dictionary and find the translation of the original sinogram in my language.

For a simplified sinogram like 龙, I don't know how to do.

(P.S. I am a chinese beginner).

Answer 1

What your dictionary calls a "key" likely refers to a character's "radical".

The character 龙 is its own radical; it's a base form with no extra components. You will likely find it under the 5-stroke key "龙" (as well as in the dictionary itself under "lóng", for such is its pinyin).

You might want to familiarise yourself with those radicals if you intend to keep using a paper dictionary of that sort. It's a bit like having to learn the order of the letters of the alphabet to use a paper dictionary in English. However, you do not to need to study or memorise each and every radical, let alone their order - what matters is that you're able to tell what is and what isn't a radical (and which radical is a character in its own merit, such as 水，人，龟，龙, etc.).

Answer 2

In this online dictionary, 汉程字典 - 部首检索 you can find the character 龙 in the 五画 部首 table. This 部首 is a hyperlink to all Characters that have the 部首 "龙", including the character itself. (not all 部首 are characters, but some are.)

This dictionary is based on the paper 新华字典.