According to an embodiment, a memory system includes semiconductor memories each having a plurality of blocks; a first table; a receiving unit; a generating unit; a second table; and a writing unit. The first table includes a plurality of memory areas each associated with each block and in each of which defect information is stored. The generating unit generates a set of blocks by selecting one block to which data are to be written in each semiconductor memory based on an index number indicating one of a plurality of rows in the first table and the first table. In the second table, an index number and a channel number are stored for each logical block address in association with one another. When a write command is received by the receiving unit, the writing unit writes data to a block associated with a selected channel number among blocks constituting the set.