When decision-directed channel estimation is used for QAM-OFDM systems, the optimal filter shape depends on the amplitudes of the modulated symbols as well as the channel characteristics. In this letter we propose a simple channel estimation method for multi-level-amplitude-modulated systems, which can effectively suppress the estimation variances with a small filter. Using the proposed method the implementation cost can be reduced and possibly better results might be obtained by avoiding the estimation bias due to large-sized filtering.