According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile memory including a plurality of nonvolatile memory dies, and a controller. The controller classifies the nonvolatile memory dies into a plurality of physical sets such that each of the nonvolatile memory dies belongs to only one physical set. The controller creates a plurality of storage regions which share each of the physical sets and each of which spans the physical sets. The controller sets one of the physical sets to a first mode for permitting a write operation and a read operation, and sets each of the other physical sets to a second mode for permitting a read operation and inhibiting a write operation.